High School Populaire
by Vigilante24
Summary: Summary in Chapter 1. PotO movieverse, characters and OC Descendants, modern world. Give it a chance my lovelies ;)
1. Chapter 1

**[A/N] - Hello dearies! Your favourite author is once again back and with a new story. Now, this is not from the normal cliche stories but belongs to the rare category of Descendants. That's right, your fav characters & their kids in a modern world. Mysteries, old grudges, humour, crushes and many more await you if you intend to give this story a shot.**

**Read & Review my lovelies, tell me your opinion, what you want to add, ideas, criticism; anything. **

**Until then, I will stay your obedient author, **

**Vigilante24**

* * *

_In every High school, you have different social cycles where each student belongs to. Now, what would happen if 4 students from very different groups end up being a target by an unknown individual that hides in the shadows? _

_Will each one try to save him or herself? Or, will they stick together and try to solve this mystery as a team, only to also find out that they are connected by more than just mere coincidences and incidents._

* * *

In a big mansion at the outskirts of Paris, a brown-haired boy was fixing his hair on the mirror of his private bathroom. He was no more than 17 with blue eyes and athletic physic; broad shoulders and muscled upper arms.

Once done, he went back to his room and checked the body length mirror; or better say check his outfit on the body length mirror. He wore a pair of blue jeans with white trainers and a tight black t-shirt that exposed his muscled chest and veins on his arms.

He grabbed his red school jacket that had black lines on the collar, black sleeves and black buttons. On the back, was the school's mascot, the Grims, which was grim reaper in a dark blue cloak and a giant scythe; his hands those of a skeleton and his face as well as it grinned evilly and emphasized the yellow eyes.

At the same time on the room next to him, another brunette was getting dressed; a girl around the age of 15 with big black glasses and big dove brown eyes. She brushed her straight hair and tighten them into two low ponytails before getting dressed.

She chose a crème thin sweater with sleeves stopping at the middle of her palm, dark blue tight jeans and black trainers. Once checking herself in the mirror, she smiled faintly until her eyes landed on a picture on her desk.

She walked there and held it in her arms, it was a family picture consisting of her, her brother, mother and father. Her hands went above the beautiful face of her mother with the curly brown hair and big eyes like hers.

She was a true innocent beauty.

Leaving out a sigh, she placed the picture back on her desk and grabbed her light blue school bag. She placed it on one shoulder and headed out of her room. As she turns and walks towards the grand staircase, the other boy walks out of his room.

"Bonjour Esmé"

"Bonjour Gustave"

The duo made their way to the big kitchen where a maid was already making them breakfast. Once they sat down on the big kitchen table made from red oak, two plates were placed in front of them; filled with French croissants, eggs, bacon, and French toast.

As the two of them started to eat, a woman walked into the room.

Her brown haired were curled and bounced with each step and she had big brown innocent dove eyes. She was dressed in a light blue strapless dress that was tight around her waist and showed her curves but on a loose like a skirt from the waist and below, stopping a little after her knees.

The dress was accompanied by sort heels like sandals that strapped around her lower leg, diamond earrings on her ears and a diamond necklace around her neck.

"Bonjour," she said with a smile and kissed their heads.

"You look absolutely beautiful mère," the girl said.

"And you look absolutely cute," the woman said as she cupped the girl's cheeks while the boy rolled his eyes.

"Christine! Where are you?" a male's voice reached their ears.

"Kitchen"

A minute later, a man walked into the room. He had dirty blond to brown long straight hair that stopped a little after his shoulders and bright blue eyes. He wore a black tuxedo with a crème shirt beneath that was unbuttoned up to the 3 first buttons.

"Oh Raoul, you look lovely," Christine said and walked to him, giving him a kiss.

"Do you mind? We are eating here" Gustave said and earned a punch on the forearm by the younger girl. "What?"

"It is romantic. Do not spoil it for them"

"Well, they can go to another room then"

"No wonder you have no girlfriend" Esmé muttered and shook her head.

"Hey! I do not have one because I do not need one you know"

"Children, play nice," Christine said with an amused smile. "Also, you will be late for school"

Everyone looked at the clock and noticed it was 30 minutes to 8.

"Your mother is right. You two have to go or you will be late and the De Changy-"

"Are always on time" the two kids finished for him.

"Precisely"

The two kids rolled their eyes but stood up and grabbed their bags before heading towards the door where the limo was waiting for them.

* * *

At the other side of the city, in a simple two-story house

A 17-year-old girl, with black hair and light blue eyes, was in front of the mirror, adjusting her eyeliner and mascara; giving her a more gothic style. She then grabbed her black lipstick and wore it before pushing a strand behind her ear.

She had on dark tight ripped black jeans with two chains connecting the front pockets with the back ones. A simple black plain t-shirt on top that was tight on her skin and different bracelets on both arms.

All of them were black leather with either silver fake spikes of different sizes. Around her neck was a silver small human skull that was hanged by a silver chain and stopped a little after her chest.

She wore the black army boots that stopped above her ankle with black belts around them and grabbed a black bag that had a red rose, a human skull and a tombstone sewed on it. Holding it on her right she made her way into the kitchen where a man had his back turned on her and was washing dishes.

On the table not too far away from her, there was a plate with fried eggs, some fresh bread with hummus, apple slices and a cup of tea.

"Bonjour père," she said as she dropped her bag and sat on the chair.

"Bonjour Mon Cher," the man said as he wiped his hands and turned to look at her.

He was tall with broad shoulders, a strong jawline and light blue eyes identical to hers; black hair that was slicked back and stopped at the end of his neck and a white porcelain mask covering almost half of his face.

He wore a white shirt with the 4 buttons open to expose his toned chest and black pants. The sleeves of the shirt were rolled up to the elbow and exposed strong arms.

He gave a kiss on her head and went inside, leaving the girl to eat her food. Once she was done, she washed the plate and she grabbed her back. She walked to the door and wore the black leather jacket before strapping her bag on her right shoulder.

She was busy deciding which song to play on her phone, her black headphones around her neck and hanging on her chest. Steps made her look up from her phone as her father walked towards her.

He had worn a black fancy jacket and had even buttoned up his shirt, leaving only one open.

"How do I look?" he asked as he wore his black gloves and stood in front of his daughter.

"Per usual… wait" the girl said and placed the phone in her back pocket before her hands go to the mask. She adjusted a little better and gave a small smile of approval.

"Thank you, Angelique"

"You will do great. It is impossible not to love your music" the girl said and earned a kiss on the head by her father.

"Go now, better not to be late for school. I will see you in the evening"

The girl gave a nod and grabbed her phone, pressing on the shuffle button and wore her headphones before opening the door and take down the road towards her school, loud music playing from the headphones.

* * *

Centre of Paris above a ballet dance studio. A blond girl with green-blue eyes was getting dressed while fighting the urge to dance at the music playing throughout the house. She wore a black skirt that stopped and a white shirt – a blouse with no sleeves.

Her legs were covered by long shocks that stopped below her knee and black ballerina styled shoes. She grabbed and wore a thin black jacket with no buttons that stopped a little after her rear and then a brown bag that was held by a brown leather strap diagonally on her body.

She slightly danced and entered the kitchen where an older woman with identical hair and blue eyes was cooking. She let the pan down and stood on the tip of her toes before doing a small fast spin.

Through the spin, she managed to spot the younger girl who walked –ran a little and did a cart on the air, her hands spread on the sides as she landed smoothly on both legs and finished with a split.

The older woman clapped.

"10/10 Belle," the woman said and stopped once she smelled something burning. Quickly she turned her attention to the stove as smoke was coming from the pan. She quickly killed the fire and coughed as she used her hand like a fan to help dissolve the smoke.

Once it was cleared, it exposed two half-burnt bread toasts.

"No worries Mère. They are still eatable and I am responsible by drawing your attention" the girl said as she stood up and grabbed one piece of bread before biting it.

"No, I need to be more careful when I cook Belle," the older woman said and left out a sigh.

"You cook better than I do"

The two of them looked at each other and laughed until the sound of a car's honk was heard.

"The bus!" the older woman said and quickly shoved Belle out of the house, only for her to ran towards the school bus that was waiting for her.

* * *

_High School Populaire_

Dozens and dozens of students were walking towards it, were inside it or standing outside. Small circles and groups already formed each circle with specific characteristics on their dressing code and individuals that made it.

Angelique arrived 10 minutes to 8 and pulled off her headphones while also closing the music. Her light blue eyes scanned the front of the school until she found the group she was looking for.

A group of around 5 people dressed in similar black clothing, earrings, rings and dark makeup was standing on the shade close to the walls of the building. They acknowledged her with a nod of their heads and walked towards them.

At the same time, the limo stopped in front of the house and Gustave with Esmé walked out of it. They quickly parted without any exchange of words or glances. The male went towards the football team players that all wore the same jacket with different numbers sewed on their sleeves.

One threw a rugby ball at him which he easily caught and spin it on one finger while making his way to them. He earned a few friendly slaps on the back and immediately joined the conversation.

Esmé, on the other hand, stood close to the stairs and was waiting patiently next to another girl with glasses who also had braces. On her chest, she held on her notebooks and her fingers tapped on its cover on a silent tune.

After a few minutes, a tall skinny guy dressed in brown pants, white shirt and a white and black checked vest joined them and the trio started their own conversation.

The school bus came 3 minutes before 8 and all the kids inside quickly exited and walked towards their friends. Belle was from the first one who had practically jumped out of it and fixed her skirt before walking to a big group of around 8 girls.

"For a moment we thought you missed it," the redhead who seemed to be also the leader said, her accent thick and foreign.

"I didn't though. I told you I would never do it, Carlotta" Belle said as she was scanned and then commented about her outfit using the words 'cute' and 'pretty'.

Carlotta rolled her eyes and with perfect timing, the school bell was heard and everyone started to make their way inside.


	2. Chapter 2

**[A/N] - Another chapter my lovelies. Shoutout to Child of Dreams for being the first to review and leaving such a nice and amusing one. Thank you so much, dearie, and glad you and others enjoy the story so far. This story is also in my quotev account 'Vigilante24' where my stories have links with images of the characters that inspire my story or clothing they might wear. **

**Anyways, here are two more chapters. Do not forget R&R**

* * *

Angelique exited her class and looked at the paper in her arms.

"I do not know how on earth you got a 100 Angel," the boy next to her said.

He was taller than her by a head with black straight long hair and a black bang to cover his right eye which was a soft brown. He had two silver crosses hanging from his ears and wore black tight pants and a loose grey shirt.

On his head, was a dark grey beanie and his hands were covered by leather fingerless gloves that were currently hidden inside the pockets of his leather jacket.

"It's not rocket science Adam. I will help you during the break period okay?"

"Yeah," Adam said and stopped in front of a locker while Angel kept walking.

She ignored the gossips and comments of some of the girls around her and kept going her way. She stopped once she noticed Esmé being shoved to the locker by a taller guy who she recognized to belong to one of the football players.

"Just let me go"

"Oh, come on now Souris (mouse) I am just playing with you", the boy said and went to grab her glasses but she pushed him back or at least tried. "Now I am hurt," he said and laughed.

He was about to try again when he was grabbed and forcefully pushed away from the younger girl by Angel as she glared at him.

"Get lost, Victor"

"Oh, the coffin lover _Angelique _defends weaker students now"

"So mature," she said and rolled her eyes while holding back the urge to punch him for using her full name.

Victor simply tried to push her aside but she did a small sidestep and his hand missed. At the same time, she placed her hands on his shoulders and pulled him a little down while also connecting her knee on his private parts.

The said boy flinched and his hands went to the place as she quickly placed her hands on his jacket and with force threw him/pushed him away. The boy looked at her but she simply took a step forward.

"You will regret this," he said as she awkwardly walked away due to the pain.

"What are you looking at?', she asked everyone who had either stopped talking or even walking and was looking at her. Her tone quickly made everyone to look away and even go back to their conversations.

"Thank you, Angel," Esmé said and pushed her glasses further up her nose.

"You both were blocking my locker," she said and the younger the girl quickly looked behind her and then at her saviour before stepping aside.

Angel didn't say anything else but took a few steps and opened the dark blue locker. She placed her math book, notebook and now crinkled test paper before grabbing two different books and a crimson red velvet notebook.

She closed the locker and noticed that Esmé was still there, playing with the end of her sweater. For a moment, the black-haired looked at the shorter girl. In the end, she tapped her head gently a few times and took her way to her next class, leaving a smiling Esmé.

* * *

The same day, Angel was sitting on the bleachers alone as usual. She was at the very corner of it, sealed away from the bright sun. Her attention was on her notebook as she used a pen to make a very detailed drawing of Esmé.

She didn't know why but this time, her mind was too occupied with the recent incident and the younger girl didn't seem to leave her mind.

At the same time, at the side of the football field, the cheerleaders were practising. Their colours of red and black bonbons were a blur as they jumped backfilled or cartwheeled.

The boys of the football team were already dressed in full equipment and were practising. The ball was thrown from player to player, tackling would occur and the occasional sound of a heavy individual being slammed on the ground.

Gustave started to run and jumped above a fallen enemy, his muscled legs taking him fast across the field. He looked back as a fellow player passed him the ball, however, little before he could catch it; he was tackled. He ended on the ground on his back with another boy above him while the enemy grabbed the ball for him. He started to run but a second later, the ball exploded and a red powder was spread all over the guy's face.

His scream and the loud 'bam' caused everyone to stop and the fellow football players to run at their friend's aid. He was on his knees, shouting, cursing and crying. His eyes were red, puffy and his skin had started to blister.

Angel had stopped her drawing and watched as the guy was carried out of the field and towards the nurse office. Her eyes connected with Gustave for a second, who as a team leader was one of the two helping the injured player. He looked at her for a few seconds before focusing back to his friend.

The raven-haired girl stood up and grabbed her bag, closed her sketchbook and started to walk back into the school; ignoring the whispers that were coming from the cheerleaders. The corner of her eyes went to Belle, who seemed to be the most worried compared to the rest and kept looking at the direction the guy was taken away.

She suddenly came to a halt and looked around, her eyes scanning for any unusual detail. She has the feeling of being watched and it was the second time; first being on her way to school. She looked and looked but nothing seemed out of place.

Shrugging her shoulders, she walked down the steps of the bleachers and into the school.

* * *

The evening of the same day, Angel finds herself taking off her headphones and killing the music before entering the house. The haunting music of a piano reached her ears as she walked in and closed the door.

She walked to the leaving room where her father was playing, only to stop and write on a music sheet before continuing. Once he stopped to think, she grabbed the chance to approach.

"How did it go?" she asked him.

"He loved it. He will talk with the board and inform me back in two weeks' time"

"That is lovely. I told you so" Angel said and hugged the man from behind, kissing his unmasked cheek. Her eyes went to the sheet of paper and quickly scanned the lyrics on it. "Hmm," she exclaimed as she grabbed the pen and wrote down a few lyrics that seemed to be missing.

As she muttered the words and tested the ring of them, she failed to see his face and the smile that was decorating his lips

"What do you think?" he asked once she let the paper on the piano.

"It has a nice ring to it and I think those lyrics will help; make it more dark and haunting. I like it"

"It is much better than the music you listen to"

"What music I like doesn't concern you Père," she said made her way towards the stairs and started to climb them.

"It is just a phase, Erik. Just a phase the man muttered to himself loud enough for her to hear it and stop mid-step.

"It is not a phase Père, not a phase", she shouted and then made her way to her room, leaving her father sighing deeply.

He went back to his composition and couldn't help but recall the old days when the girl upstairs hadn't dyed hair and was dressed in different clothing. The same girl would sit on his lap and play along with him. He did miss those days but he had come to a term with those memories and current situation. That was his daughter now; he couldn't do anything to change it.

* * *

The bell rang, symbolizing the end of another school day. Angel gave a small wave to her group and put her headphones in her ear before taking the walk to her house. She had made it a few steps before a hand was placed on her mouth and she was dragged into a nearby alley.

She was slammed against the wall and she winced slightly at the sudden rush of pain that came from the back of her head. She blinked and noticed that she was surrounded by almost everyone from the football team with Victor on the lead.

"I told you, you would regret it," he said and cracked his knuckles.

"Yes, and as you can see, I am shaking from fear. Grow up already" Angel said as she placed her headphones in her pocket and pushed herself off the wall. She bumped her shoulder with Victor's and was about to walk out of the alley when a hand was placed on her shoulder.

Before she could be pulled back, she grabbed the hand with both of hers and flipped the football guy above her shoulder and slammed him on the hard concrete with his back.

She was suddenly grabbed from behind and lifted above the air, the muscled arms held her tightly and had trapped her hands by her side, making it for her unable to move them. Victor was about to punch her stomach but she kicked his chest and sent him back.

At the same time, the kick pushed the guy that was holding her to stumble back and she grabbed the chance to kick him on his private parts with her heel. That freed her and she quickly turned her body and punched the guy on the cheek, sending him on the ground with a cut and bleeding lip.

More guys charged at her and she fended each one off but Victor who played dirty and tripped her, causing her to fall on her back. A groan escaped her lips as she found the strength to jump on her feet and get ready for more fighting.

"What is going on here?" a voice caused everyone to freeze and their eyes went to the opening of the alley where Gustave was standing, a displeased look on his face.

"Gustave I-"

"I do not want to hear anything. Everyone, get lost. Now"

The boys quickly started to leave, Victor being the last one who gave a last glare at Angel.

"You should keep your boys on a short lease," the raven-haired girl said as she grabbed her bag from the floor and put her books and notebooks back in.

"Well, you had it coming," Gustave said as he picked up her old leather-bound sketchbook and started to browse through it but it was quickly pulled back by the owner and slammed shut before placed in the black bag.

"I had it coming? Do you even know what I did?"

"Yeah, Victor was flirting with a girl and you interrupted him, humiliated him and kicked him"

Angel scoffed as she placed one bag strap above her shoulder and checked that her phone in her pocket was still there.

"I should have known. Allow me to enlighten you, De Changy. By flirting, you should mean bullying and by a girl, you should mean your sister" she said and bumped her shoulder on his, hard while walking away.

"What?"

"You heard me Mr Popular. You should be more aware of the people you call your friends"

The brunette watched her walk away, shocked at the new information as his anger started to rise.

* * *

The next day, a crowd has gathered at the side of the school as Gustave grabbed Victor by the jacket and slammed him on the brick wall of the school. He let him go only to quickly race his fist and punch the bully on the chin.

"Gustave, come on buddy," Victor said as he rubbed his jaw where he was punched and felt a bruise forming.

"I should kick you out of the team but I won't. Not yet, the team leader said as he tried to control his anger.

"Thank you"

"Stay away from my sister _buddy _or else, you being out of the team will not even be the worst of your problems"

With those words, Gustave stormed off and walked towards Esmé and her friends who were not too far away. He wrapped his strong fingers around her forearm and dragged her as far as she could from the rest of the students

"Gustave you hurt me," the petite girl said and tried to hold back the tears from the pain.

"Why didn't you tell me?" the older boy hissed as he brought his face dangerously close to hers.

"I would if you ever listened to me"

"I do listen!"

"You do not and you hurt me!" she shouted as now her eyes had started to water. That seemed to snap Gustave out of his anger as he released her and she held her aching forearm. "If you did listen, I wouldn't end up being bullied by your friends as well"

She stormed off, tears running down her cheeks as she ran into the school and made her way to the only place she could be alone. The only place she had spent many times crying over her life and its misfortunes.

_The library_

She ran in and as she expected it, it was empty. She hid between two bookshelves and hugged herself as she closed her eyes and let the tears escape. After a few minutes, the sound of steps reached her ears.

"Hello? ***sniffs*** Anybody there?" she asked as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and stretched her ear to listen again but was met with silence. She takes a step away from the self to check better when the sound of objects bumping into each other was heard.

The shelves started to fall like domino and she let out a scream while covering her head with her hands as the bookshelf behind her fell forward and started to rain books.


	3. Chapter 3

Belle popped her head into the library and looked around but was met with silence. She opened the door more and took a few steps in.

"Anyone here? Hello? … Mrs Caron?" she asked but was met with no reply. She decided to walk further into the library and covered her mouth with her hands as a gasp escaped her lips.

Further inside, half of an unconscious Esmé can be seen trapped between two fallen bookcases. Books were all around her as her face was pressed against the wooden floor.

The cheerleader was in shock and was only snapped out of it when another person walked into the library, that person being none other than Angel. Once she spots Esmé, she drops her back and runs towards the younger girl.

She kneels next to her and checks her pulse. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she finds one.

"Help me here," she said to the blond who nodded and joined the black haired girl. "I will make some space with the shelves; you pull her carefully and gently away okay?"

She received another nod and started to lift barely the bookshelf that was trapping Esmé's body. Her hands aced and she greeted her teeth at the weight but held her ground as Belle did exactly what she was told. She let out the heavy shelf with a sigh and rubbed her aced wrists as she sat next to the younger girl and tapped her cheek gently.

"Esmé… wake up" she said and kept the proceeds.

A faint groan escaped the 15 year Old's mouth as she opened her brown eyes. She slowly, with the help of belle, push herself a little up and held her head in pain.

"My head… what… what happened?" she asked as she blinked and looked at the two girls around her.

* * *

The bell rang and signalled the end of another school day. Adam was leaning against the wall next to the doors and smoking a cigarette when Angel approached him.

"Where were you?"

"What do you mean?" he asked as he turned to look at her.

"I mean you told me to meet you at the library but you never showed up"

"I never told you such thing," the boy said as he threw the cigarette in the nearby bin as Angel took from her pocket a small white note. On it, _Library, break period _was written in the boy's handwriting. "I did not write that"

"Well it is your handwriting but I believe you. Something feels odd right here"

"You went to the library?"

"Yeah obviously"

"Yeah obviously"

"You found Esmé with that cheerleader, didn't you?" he asked.

"News travel fast I see but yes"

"Is she okay?"

"Who?"

"Esmé"

Angel raised an eyebrow and looked at Adam as if he had grown a second head. It was peculiar for him to be interested in the sake of others outside their group, especially for the sake of a girl younger than him and to a group far different from theirs.

"I do not know if I should be surprised that you know her name or that you are concerned about her wellbeing"

"Is she okay?" he asked again.

"Yeah… she had a small hit on the back of her head by a heavy book but no concussion"

"That is good"

After that, the two of them walked towards their house and bid their goodbye after a specific spot as they headed towards their houses. Angel wore her headphones once again but couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched again.

* * *

_Monday Morning_

Angel placed her bag in her locker and tried to hide a yawn. As she started to grab the books for her neck class, she was interrupted by a voice.

"Hey Angel"

She turned at her right and two lockers further down were Belle.

"Belle" she greeted the blond and turned her attention inside her locker.

"How are you?"

"Usual. You?" she asked back.

She wasn't in the mood for much talking; it was too early for her but she stayed nice due to the liking she had for the blond. Belle was the only cheerleader who was kind but easily manipulated by the meaner girls. She had lots of talent but was always lowered, tripped and put down by Carlotta and her followers.

"I am good...Uhm…I wanted to thank you"

"For?"

"Yesterday, I panicked but you didn't and helped Esmé"

Angel closed her locker, held her books on one hand and looked at the blond who stood in front of her closed locker.

"It is normal to panic. And we helped her; I wouldn't be able to do it alone"

"If you say so but I think you would be able to," Belle said and opened her locker, only to be splashed by bright red paint that stained her cheerleading outfit.

Her jaw dropped and her eyes were wide as the paint was everywhere; her clothes, her face, her hair and even the floor. The people around them didn't help as they started to laugh and take out their phones to take pictures and videos. She closed her locker and the blond ran to the bathroom as fast as she could. Angel was about to follow her and check if she was okay but her group had already beaten her to it.

Carlotta and her two dogs entered the bathroom as the rest of the girls stayed outside and prevented anyone from entering. She looked at the bathroom door one last time before walking to her neck class, making sure to avoid the red stain on the floor.

* * *

The same night, she returned home and closed the door behind her. The room was too quiet, and the lights were off. She walked further in only to feel someone behind her and in seconds, a rope was around her neck. She placed her hand and managed to stop it from cutting her breath entirely. The person stayed hidden in the shadows and pulled more, her wrist starting to hurt from the pressure. She brought her other hand and elbowed the person behind her.

That caused him to loosen his grip from the strong hit and she grabbed the chance to pull both hands back and grab the thick wrist before flipping the person above her shoulder and on the ground. A loud 'thud' was heard, and she rubbed her neck with her one hand while the other turned on the lights by the switch.

"Very good" her father's voice said as he jumped on his feet and cleaned the dust from his clothes.

"Was it really necessary?" Angel asked as she rubbed her neck where the rope had almost choked her.

"Yes, it has been quite some time since your last practice"

"And it should have been much longer you know"

"Come, dinner is ready," he said and walked to the kitchen, placing his mask on the counter and let his deformed skin to breath.

Two plates were already on the table and they took their usual seats before digging in. This time it was vegetable soup with fresh bread and some cheese.

"I heard about some incidents at your school," Erik said after a few minutes of silence.

"Yeah"

"And?"

"Well, there is no specific motive or day so far. The incidents usually have a gap of two with three days between them but there is no specific target"

"It can't be a coincidence"

_"There is no such thing as coincidence," _they said together as Angel dipped some bread in her soup and took a bite.

"Agree but what can we do?"

"Hmm. Stay on alert and note down all the information you can gather about them. Might come useful"

"Already did that," she said as she pulled her sketchbook from her bag and gave it to him.

Erik wiped his mouth and hands on the napkin before taking the book and opening it, looking in the different notes and sketches of the people involved and the incidents.

"Good. Maybe I should interfere" he said once he finished and closed the book before placing it next to him.

"Père no, do not. There is no need for anything drastic and impulsive"

"You are right Mon Cher"


	4. Chapter 4

A usual day in the High School Populaire, the bell had just run, and the third hour had come to an end. Students exited their classrooms, heading towards their lockers or their next class while chatting with their friends. Adam and Angel were walking side by side, discussing the latest album of one of their favourite bands; Within Temptation.

"Out of the way!" someone had shouted, and the duo stopped and looked behind them,

A girl with dark brown hair, glasses and green eyes was running down the halls. In her arms, she holds dozens and dozens of flyers. She passed by our heroes and tried to keep the papers balanced on the pile. She was unaware of one flyer that had escaped and was slowly making its way on the ground. Angel, though, noticed it and quickly grabbed it before turning it around. She read the paper along with Adam surprised by its content; well almost.

It was a flyer, informing about the school's latest musical; the Phantom of the Opera. Furthermore, the paper informed about times of the auditions and the place they would be held.

"Hmm" Angel hummed as she focused on the paper more than her friend, different thoughts passing her mind.

"Let me guess, you thinking to apply?"

"I do not know yet. I am uncertain if it would be wise or not"

"Well, it is something out of our league. I mean, theatre and well… us. Yet again, we never truly followed any unwritten rules of society"

She shook her head and gave a friendly punch to her friend, amused by his philosophical side which was still under development. Then, she placed the flyer in her back and the duo continued their way towards their next class.

* * *

The same night, Angel had decided to approach her father. She found him, as per usual, in his music room. He was playing one of his latest pieces on the piano and the girl waited patiently for him to finish; knowing very well that he didn't like to be interrupted.

"What is it, Mon Cher?" he asked as he finished and turned his face so he could see her, his face unmasked and his deformity visible.

Angel approached and passed him the flyer, allowing him to give it a quick read. Dark eyebrows frowned as light blue eyes read each phrase carefully.

The title and the whole play were very familiar to him as he was the inspiration behind him. Well, him and some other of his classmates. He could still remember, how all this started as an English Essay where they were forced to write a small story or play. A classmate of his, from the few he had come in better contact; had taken inspiration on his mask and his connection with the rest of the class and the girl he had a crush on. Then, he turned it into a story which he later expanded and even published as musical.

Of course, he would never say any word about the whole past or his relation to the said play. It was something he wasn't proud of and preferred to keep it deep down in his chest along with the rest of the things he kept in secret. He was thankful that the man had changed a big amount of details which didn't scream his name or pointed at him or the others.

"Thinking to apply?" he asked as he noticed how silent she was.

"Well, I would love to go as the Phantom, but I cannot. Therefore, I am not certain if I should" she said as sat by his side.

"Go for the role of Christine then. You have got this"

"Will you help me practice?"

"Of course," Erik said with a smile on his face. "I will make sure you take that role"

* * *

A few days later, it was time for the auditions. Angel had spent each day practising along with her father, perfecting the piece she had to present. Now, she was sitting in one of the comfy red chairs of the amphitheatre.

Their school took great pride in the arts and talented students it trained, going as far as to have a building that inside resembled a small version of a 1800s Parisian Opera. It had everything, from the red chairs to the statues and a mini fake chandelier handing from the top. The stage was huge and so was the backstage, allowing a big amount of people to work there. The orchestra pit was fair but enough for a good number of organs that would accompany the production; since this school preferred to do it the old-fashioned way.

They waited, hearing almost every girl that had come after the same role she had. Yet, their voices were average to her well-trained ear. Minus, of course, Carlotta's. The woman had a good technique but stretched the notes and her voice too much, resulting in quite an unpleasant performance.

"Angelique Destler" her name was called, and she stood up.

"That's me," She said as she made her way to the stage, ignoring the faint whispers around her.

It was quite unusual for her, of all people, to apply for a musical and in general be interested in the art of Theatre but she didn't care. There were many things people didn't know about her and she wasn't planning to let them know any time soon.

"Destler?" the man responsible for the whole production, Mr Francus, repeated her last name with a small tone of surprise. "Are you Erik's… Erik's Destler daughter?"

She almost froze on the steps of the stage, finding it very unusual that someone recognized her father. Most specifically, someone who was fully focused on Theatre production.

"Yes Monsieur, I am," she said and looked at him, her blue eyes connecting with his green ones.

Mr Francus was a man no older than 40 with curly black – dark blue hair and bright green eyes. A pair of round glasses on his nose and faint baby hair on his chin and upper lip. He wore a simple white shirt that was too big for his thin form and black jeans, also a size bigger than he needed.

"Perfect!" he said and clapped his hands, a big smile on his lips. "I expect big things from you ***turns to his assistant*** Her father was my biggest star. A true musical genius and with a voice…always on the lead"

_Strange_, she thought; not recalling any information about the said teacher or her father being the Lead in musicals. Yes, he was infested in music and was a genius on that field; but she never had his capable of associating directly with such things.

Apparently, she wasn't the only one out of place; maybe it even ran in her veins. Either way, she had come here for a role and she was ready to get it.

"Joshua!" the director shouted and a boy walked towards the edge of the scene. He was tall with a fair built frame, soft characteristics on his face and curly dark chocolate brown hair.

"Yes, sir?", he asked and let his dark eyes land on the older man while his hands were behind his back. The boy, around the age of 18, wore a simple grey shirt with long brown sleeves, brown pants and black trainers.

"You will duet with her"

"With all the respect sir, I have already duet with many and it didn't work out. I am reaching my limit here"

"Trust me, boy. This time it is worth it", the director said as the assistant gave a nod to the man responsible for the music.

The sound of the organ echoed throughout the room as the main theme song of the whole show started. The two teens looked at each other before preparing themselves, they had singing and small acting to do.

(A: Angel, J: Joshua, D: Duet)

A: _In sleep, he sang to me, in dreams he came  
That voice which calls to me and speaks my name  
_

_And do I dream again? For now, I find  
The Phantom of the Opera is there_

_Inside my mind_

J: _Sing once again with me our strange duet  
My power over you grows stronger yet_

_And though you turn from me to glance behind  
The Phantom of the Opera is there_

_Inside your mind_

***Angel walks towards him***

_A:_ _Those who have seen your face draw back in fear _***hand on the supposed masked cheek***

_I am the mask you wear_

_J: It's me they hear_ ***grabs her wrist and lowers it, away from his face***

_D:_ _Your/My spirit and my/your voice  
In one combined_

_The Phantom of the Opera is there  
Inside my/your mind_

_A: He's there, the Phantom of the Opera_ ***Angel Vocalizes***

_Sing, my angel of music_

_Sing, my angel_

_Sing for me!_

***Joshua takes step back***

J: Sing!  
Sing, my angel! ***hand motions her to turn to the stage*  
**Sing for me! ***Angel looks at the stage and reaches higher note with ease***

Clapping replaced the music as the Director stood up from the velvet chair and congratulated the young woman. Angel gave a small theatrical bow and looked at Joshua who seemed to approve her. Then her eyes went to the velvet chairs. First, she looked at Adam who was clapping despite the small shock written on his face. He knew Angel could sing but reaching such high notes never crossed his mind.

She then noticed Belle and Esmé who were sitting next to each other. The younger teen had her mouth opened, a look of amazement and total shock was visible while the blond clapped and smiled. A row in front of them, a redhead had the sourest face of jealousy Angel had the misfortune to see. Hands crossed in front of her chest; she looked the other side.

Lastly, light blue eyes went to the Director's assistant who was writing something on her clipboard. She was a petite woman, around her father's age with oily black hair which was currently in a messy bun, brown eyes hidden behind spectacles and slightly chubby cheeks that stood against her thin and small frame.

* * *

Once the final bell rang, many students rushed to the Theatre; wanting to see if they got the role they auditioned for. Angel was one of them, even though she took her sweet time to walk there with Adam by her side. She pushed some girls aside and looked at the paper that was stuck on the closed door. A smile found its way on her black lips as she backed away and walked towards her friend.

"You took the role, didn't you?" the boy said as the duo walked further away.

"Yep," she said, emphasizing the letter 'p'. Esmé is Meg and Carlotta is my understudy"

"Oh joy. Good luck with that"

"Destler!" someone shouted and the duo stopped and turned, only to look at Joshua walking to them.

"Joshua, I have a name you know"

"My apologies. Just wanted to congratulate you on the role and tell you that we have a rehearsal in an hour"

Adam patted her shoulder. "Enjoy. I will see you tomorrow, Angel"

The girl watched her friend walking away and then let her eyes go to Joshua who was standing there, looking at his shoes.

"Thank you for telling me. I will come soon"

"It will be an honour to walk alongside with you," the boy said and smiled before walking into the Theatre via another door.

Angel looked at him leaving, a thin eyebrow raised. Confused by his words, he let them slip and pulled the phone from her back pocket before deciding to text her father.

'_Got the part, what a surprise. First rehearsal in an hour. Most likely will be late'_

She closed her phone and looked left and right, feeling once again as if she was being watched but nothing seemed to help her small paranoia.

* * *

The same night at the De Changy manor, the family of 4 were sitting on the big table. Raoul at the head, Christine at his right and Gustave at his left. Next to the older woman sat her daughter and they were all enjoying their dinner. The younger of the 4 had a big smile on her face as she kept talking about the play, the music and the coincidence that her parents shared the names of the protagonists.

"Coincidence… yes…" Christine said, uncertain and she locked eyes with her husband before taking a sip of her soup.

Gustave had stayed quiet throughout the whole dinner, holding a calm demeanour; like his father. His eyes were locked on his mother form, sensing something suspicious about the whole story but decided not to utter a word.

"I have already the whole script and it is so amazing. Of course, I feel little sad about the ending… and I cannot wait to hear Angel's voice. Mother, you would appreciate her so much after you heard her sing. She was absolutely freaking incredible"

"Why don't you built a statue and worship her then? You seem to be close to by the way you talk about that emo"

"Hey! Angel is amazing and much better than you or anyone else! And she deserves to be praised"

"Children" Raoul's voice was calm, too calm but held a warning behind it.

The two siblings immediately stopped and looked back at their foods, knowing too well than to anger their father. He had quite the temper and none wanted to face that any time soon.

"Who is this Angel, Esmé?"

"Angel Destler. She is emo in our school, but she is very kind. She always treats me kind. And did you know that her father was in our school? Yes, and he was apparently Prima Uomo all the time!"

Raoul And Christine exchanged a look, the last name and the extra detail of the man gave them a sense of uncertainty deep in their guts. Both felt in a small de javu, a too familiar de javu which they wanted out of it.

"***clears throat*** Interesting. Now, why don't you tell us about the incidents, Gustave?" Raoul said as he changed the subject and turned to look at his son, not wanting to listen more about the girl who had earned a place in his daughter's heart.


	5. Chapter 5

The morning of the next day, young Esmé walked into her biology class earlier than the rest to check on the hamsters. However, her smile was replaced by the expression of horror as a loud scream escaped her throat. People ran inside, standing behind or next to the frighten and shaking girl; their eyes widen. In front of them, the two hamsters were dead with their throat being sliced up. Their blood had been used to write a small but creepy message on the wall.

'_Phantom's daughter beware'_

Our heroes read the words, again and again, different thoughts and expression but all felt the pair of eyes watching them from somewhere.

* * *

After the teachers came in, they locked the room and called the Janitor to clean it while hurried the rest to go to their classes. Students whispered between them, exchanging theories while also feeling sorry for the younger girl.

Gustave greeted his teeth, not liking how his little sister saw something like this. Yes, she would get on his nerves, but she would always be his little sister. He knew how sensitive she was and how such an incident would scar her. He dropped his books on the desk and sat on his chair, only for a second later to end up on the ground. He blinked in surprise and looked around him, his chair was now in pieces while the students around him laughed.

* * *

Next class and Esmé was met with an empty locker. All her books and personal belongings had been missing which filled her with panic and earned mockery from passing older girls when they spotted her standing in front of an empty locker.

* * *

At the same time, Belle was sitting on the bench of the changing rooms and talked with the other girls in the ballet class. She laughed and pulled her ballet shoes from beneath the bench before wearing the right one.

A gasp and a small scream echoed in the room as she pulled her leg away, only to see blood which came from the inner of her shoes. Something was telling her that this blood was not human and instead belonged to the dead hamsters.

* * *

In the Theatre, a new rehearsal was held for the two protagonists in order to get better into their respective roles. Few students who worked backstage and the director were the only ones in the room with them.

The small rehearsal was cut short when a falling prop almost hit Joshua, who was saved by Angel. The girl had grabbed his forearm and pulled him out of harm's way as the prop banner landed a few feet away from them. She looked at it with narrowed eyes and then looked up, only to see no one there.

* * *

During the break, the school was filled with whispers and gossips; all about our heroes who had suffered through the different pranks that took place throughout the school. None of them seems to like the attention and tried to seek refuge. A touch of destiny could be called but our 4 heroes ended up all going to the library where they could find the longing peace they seek. However, that didn't mean they were friends as each one chose a different table and preferred the isolation.

The sound of the clock ticking was the only thing hearable in the big room as the seconds turned into minutes. Finally, the silence was broken by Angel who had noticed that Belle was pale and shaking slightly.

"Are you okay Belle?" she asked from her table, her blue eyes filled with concern.

"Yeah… just a little… shaken…" the girl replied and swallowed the lump in her throat.

Next was Gustave who left out a scoff. "How can she be after this stupid prank? How can anyone of us be after we were targeted by who knows what lunatic roams this place"

Mutters of agreement or nods followed right after, finding the first thing in common with one another.

"They are sick" Esmé commented, the image of the dead animals still imprinted in her mind.

"I suggest we catch this trickster and show them what happens when they find something like this funny"

Everyone exchanged looks, their confidence long gone. The small plan sounded strange and wrong in their minds even though a small part of them wanted to find the culprit and put an end before someone else got targeted.

"Let's think about it over the weekend and meet here, whoever is in", the younger of the 4 suggested after few minutes of silence and everyone agreed.

* * *

_Weekend_

Our heroes were deep in thoughts during the two days of their escape from school, the events replaying in their minds while Gustave's suggestion seemed better and better by each passing hour.

* * *

Esme sat on her desk, pencil on her left hand as she stared at her math homework. Usually, they were easy for her, but she found it hard to focus; ending up reading and reading the problem again and again but no word stayed in her mind.

* * *

Gustave was sitting with friends in a burger shop, the boys discussing the latest football game, but the Team Leader had his mind on anything but that. He played with his fries by using the plastic fork, his appetite long lost.

* * *

Belle ended up being scolded by her grandmother once again for missing a step. A sigh escaped her lips as she repeated the steps, trying to stay in pace but her mind didn't let her and caused her to lose focus.

"Enough for today Belle. Go rest, those incidents have affected you" the older woman said and the teenage hang her head but gave a nod, hating to be dismissed like that but the ballet mistress had a point.

* * *

In the two-story house, Angel had found shelter in the music room of her father. The violin is held gracefully in her arms as soft melodies filled the room. Her father opened the door slowly, surprised to find her there.

"Something wrong?", he asked once the girl stopped.

"No, why?"

"It has been… well, quite some time since the last time you were here"

"I know…. But I felt like coming here and playing again"

Erik looked at her with a neutral face, but his guts told him that she was lying. "I see. So, this has nothing to do with the school incidents?"

"Not really", she said and shrugged her shoulders before placing the violin under her chin. "Care to join me?"

* * *

The weekend passed very slowly for our heroes and the final day came. Monday, lunch had started, and they had all met in the library; showing their agreement to form a plan and catch the prankster.

However, instead of 4, they were 5 as Adam had decided to join them and assist them in their future plans.

"Why is _he_ here?" Gustave asked and folded his hands in front of his chest, the teenagers forming a circle.

"_He_ is my friend and _he_ wants to help" Angel replied.

"Is it a good idea to have so many people?"

"My father is a cop and he already wants to capture that trickster. I can give you heads up and help you gather clue" Adam was the one to speak this time.

"Gather clues? Where are we, in a police movie or something?"

"Gustave!" the young De Chagny exclaimed and slapped the forearm of the older boy with the back of her palm.

"Yes, clues. We need to start from, somewhere don't we? And anything we find can help us catch this persona and put an end to all of this"

The Football Player said nothing else and instead, the company sat on a table before start discussing what their first move should be. There were arguments, comments and fears. By the end of the break, they had finally agreed on something. They would start by keeping an eye on each other, checking for anyone or anything suspicious which could lead to their target. All of that, though, had to be done without raising any suspicion which meant that they had to keep living their life normally.

Something that was easier said than be done but they were determined to get to the bottom of it.

* * *

The very next day, everyone in the company ended up receiving the same letter. Angel discovers hers, on top of her vanity in her dressing room. Esmé spotted hers into her still empty locker while Belle almost crashed it since it was hidden inside her new ballet shoes.

Adam found his in his secret smoking place, raising suspicions on the boy as the said place was supposed to be a secret. Last was Gustave, whose paper landed between his feet when he opened his locker to grab his clothes. Needless to say, it didn't help the situation that his fellow teammates teased him about another secret fan of his.

However, those letters served their purpose as our heroes met in the Library during lunch break. They sat in their table and spread the papers open in front of them. All of them were the same size, same paper, same handwriting and same warning.

_'I have eyes and ears everywhere'_

"Great, now this… this freak decided to leave us letters. What is next? Knock on our front doors?" Gustave said and scoffed before leaning back on the chair, hands in front of his chest.

"I do not like this… I mean… how do they know?" Belle said and played with the end of her skirt as Esmé nodded in agreement.

"Hmm", Adam, who was the calmest, exclaimed and rubbed his chin. "Maybe they suspected that we would try to do something about those pranks"

"***scoffs*** So you say that this lunatic started all of this for that?"

"I would appreciate if you stopped calling names the mysterious person"

"Why do I offend you? Why do you even care anyway? I mean, you haven't been humiliated that is why you are so defensive"

"No, I am simply acting like a normal human being, not like a douche"

"What did you say, Emo boy?" Gustave said as he leaned forward, challenging Adam with his eyes.

"Gustave now it is not the time!" his sister shouted and grabbed his forearm, but he freed himself from her grasp.

"Guys," Belle said unsure as the tension between the two men grew and the worst could come any moment.

"Thought as much. This whole idea was stupid. I am out" the De Chagny said and stood up before walking out of the door.

"Gustave, wait!" Esmé shouted and rushed after her older brother.

"***sigh*** Guess this is it," Belle said as she was the next to stand up. "It was good while it lasted. See you later Angel, Adam"

The two friends were left on the table. Adam sat down on his chair and slapped his hands on his face as a sigh escaped his lips. He lowered his hands and looked at a silent Angel who was rubbing her temples.

"You okay?"

"I had better days" she replied and eyed the papers again, her guts turning a nasty way.


	6. Chapter 6

Everyone's lives had returned to normal. The gossips about the incidents died, no more pranks were held, and our heroes focused on their own lives. They would send each other faint glances from time to time but that was it.

Sometimes Adam or Angel would keep an eye on Belle or Esmé just in case but never did anything more. And thus, the days passed, and next week came faster than anyone expected.

Esmé was in her third class which was chemistry and was face to face with different flasks, chemicals and burets. Next to her, her partner Michael stood awkwardly. He wasn't a fan of chemistry and had a small fear for the chemicals.

"Careful," he said as his hands gripped on his polka vest.

"I am," the girl said and took a deep breath before mixing two liquids.

She didn't like the subject either as her short posture and clumsiness weren't helping her at all. However, she had to keep going and keeping her grades up. Some days like that one, she wished that the subjects had no practical. She preferred theory, tests and studying from a book than risking your live playing with certain items. She shook her head to get rid of the common thoughts and looked at the printed paper with the instructions.

She read them a few times before she looked around her, seeing that they were the only table left to do the reaction. She eyed the burette carefully and grabbed the chemical she needed before slowly pouring it.

The liquid changed colour and she smiled in triumph, but it was quickly wiped away when the liquid started to boil and foam. She was pushed back by Michael just in time as the liquid escaped the glass structure and felt on the flame. The orange and yellow flames rose to life and immediately started to burn anything around them, including their papers and notebooks.

"Everyone out of the class!" their professor shouted as he opened the door and pulled the fire alarm.

The kids obeyed without a second thought as they pushed and struggled to escape the class while the flames expanded and started to burn anything they could.

The fire escaped from the door and travelled the halls as all the kids were pushed out of the building. The Populaire was too old and no sparkling system had been installed, which only meant that they had to wait for the Firefighters to come and stop the destruction.

Kids coughed as they ducked and made their way to one of the multiple exits. Belle was one of them but came to a halt when she spotted a figure. She narrowed her blue eyes and the figure retreated. Without thinking twice, she ran towards it. Took a few sharp turns and almost slipped in one but kept going. She extended her hand and grabbed the end of the material, ripping a small part of it.

She cursed and tried to follow the now gone mysterious figure only to end up walking into the burning chemistry class. The flames rose and she coughed while taking steps back, only to find herself trapped by more flames. She panicked and the tears at the end of her eyes quickly evaporated from the intense heat. Her consciousness started to slip away but before she could collapse fully, strong arms caught her and held her bride style.

* * *

Outside of the building, firefighters were killing the flames and everyone looked worried. Their mouths dropped when Joshua came out of the school with a barely conscious Belle in his arms. Some clapped while paramedics rushed to both of them.

Angel walked to Joshua whose hand was treated for 1st-degree burns.

"You okay?" she asked as she sat next to him on the bench.

"Yes. It is nothing serious. I will heal. I hope Belle is okay though" he said and looked at her as she was breathing through an Oxygen mask.

"She will be. She is a strong woman"

"Yeah…"

"Thank you for that"

"For what?"

"Saving her"

"Why thank me? I did what was right? You two are not exactly friends"

"Yes…. You are right I guess ***looks straight*** but what you did was very brave and foolish, but brave"

"Thank you"

The two of them sat in silence and waited for their parents to come and take them, the rest of the day was cancelled due to the incident.

* * *

The very next day, Belle received a text by someone to come to the Library and so she did; only to come face to face with the rest of our heroes.

"Guys….?"

Esmé immediately embraced her into a tight hug, tears threatening to escape her brown eyes.

"Do not _ever_ scare us like that again Belle"

"She is right. What you did there was foolish, and you could have been killed" Gustave said, his hands into his jean pockets.

"Yeah, why did you break the formation anyway?" Adam asked.

"Because I saw someone"

"What?" Gustave and Angel exclaimed together.

"Yes. I think… I think they put the fire and they are the trickster"

"Belle. I think you inhaled too much smoke"

"I do not think so Gustave" Angel said right after. "My guts tell me something is fishy here"

"_Your guts_? Are you serious?"

"Yes I am"

The duo locked eyes and a starring contest started between them. Both refused to back down until Adam walked between them.

"Anyways… Belle, did you manage to see a face or perhaps…?"

"No ***looks down*** Only managed to grab the edge of the jacket or whatever they were wearing and get this," the blond said and held up the piece of black fabric.

Angel quickly snatched it from her hands before anyone else could and started to inspect it.

"Do you think… can it be? Our first clue?" Esmé said with a small excitement as she finally released Belle from the tight hug.

"Maybe. We need to do more research about this… all of this in general" Adam said and was passed the fabric.

* * *

The next few days were school free for our heroes as the class had to be somehow repaired and the damage to be accounted. It gave them time to do research and form different theories since Esmé pointed something that no one had noticed before.

_"I still do not understand why we are the only ones getting pranked here"_

It was her way of taking her out her anger, but her words had seemed to awaken something in Adam who immediately focused on extensive research. Angel helped as well while the rest tried to find any clues or hints about the pranks.

Once the school was open again, they met in the Library as per usual to discuss their new findings.

"So, who wants to go first?" Belle asked, and everyone looked at each other, no one wanting to do such a thing. "Okay… then I go?"

"No," Angel said as she leaned back on her chair.

"Huh?" the other two girls exclaimed.

"She is right. It is not wise, at least not now. If we indeed have any material or any clue, it is wiser to discuss it somewhere where we are sure no one will listen to us"

The company was silent for a little bit, thinking and agreeing with a nod of their heads. Since their target had warned them that he or she could listen to everything, it only made sense that they would go somewhere he or she couldn't.

"Like a house?" Esmé suggested.

"Whose house then?" her brother asked.

"Well, definitely not mine," Adam said.

"And why not?"

"Think of it _genius_. My dad is a cop and working on that case, the last thing we want is for him to find out that we work behind his back"

Gustave muttered a few curses under his breath but stayed silent, as the other boy had a point.

"What about your house Belle?" Angel asked.

"What? Oh no, we cannot. Granma Giry will listen to us and oh the fury we will face if she finds out that we do something so dangerous"

"Angel, your house is a no, right?" Adam asked as he turned to look at her.

"Yep"

"Why?" Belle asked.

"My dad has ears all over the house and if you think that the fury of your grandmother is scary, you should see his. If we appreciate our lives, we will not gather there"

Esmé cracked a big smile which didn't go unnoticed by the others.

"What is it now?"

"Gustave don't you see it. The only choice left is the manor!", she said excitedly.

"***Scoffs*** I cannot believe that we are forced to host them… well, guess we have no other choice"

"Then it is decided. We ask our parents for permission and we meet Friday night" Adam said as everyone stood up and headed to the cafeteria before the time was over.

* * *

Same night Angel approached her father who was practising on the organ inside his music room. She stood at the door, waiting for him to finish.

"What is it, Mon Cher?" he asked as he turned to face her while motioning with his hand to walk closer.

"I want to ask you for a favour?"

"Which is?" raises an eyebrow.

"Friday night, me and some friends we will have a sleepover in the De Chagny man-"

"Absolutely not!"

"But Père-"

"No buts Angelique!" he slammed his fist on the keys and a haunting sound echoed in the room. "You will not even walk close to that house. Stop hanging with _those _kids and forget that thought"

"No, I will not! Those kids are more than fine, and I do not see why I shouldn't go? It is not like they will harm me"

"I said no!" Erik shouted and stood up, throwing the lamp on the ground but Angel didn't even flinch.

"And I asked why?!"

"There is no way! A no is a no! End of discussion!"

Angel glared at him, her hands into fists before punching him on the stomach. The man bent forward and one hand went to the place he was just punched while Angel stormed out of the music room, climbed the stairs and banged the door to her room.

She fell on her bed with her stomach and let out a cry of annoyance which was muffled by her pillow. She rolled on her back on top of the black bed sheets and grabbed her phone from her pocket before opening it to the group conversation she had with the others.

(E: Esme, A: Adam, G: Gustave, B: Belle)

_Looks like you will have to do the meeting without me_

_A: Why?_

_What do you think?_

_A: Oh come on. This is ridiculous_

_B: Maybe we can change the place, find somewhere else_

_G: Or simply do it without her. I do not see the problem_

_A: No, Angel is part of the group and we all need to be together_

_E: I have an idea. The problem is that your Dad doesn't allow you right?_

_Yes_

_E: Leave it to me_

* * *

Barely two hours later after the small conversation via their phones, Esmé found her mother into her study room.

"Something wrong my dear?" she asked as she looked from her book to her and offered a warm smile.

"I have a favour to ask you," the teenager said as she closed the door behind her.


	7. Chapter 7

The day after his fight with his daughter, Erik was having a singing lesson with one of his students. The girl, which was around Angel's age, followed his instructions and sang her part good enough to satisfy him.

"That will be all for today. Practice your breathing and stance better and I will see you in two days" he said as he stood up and lead the blond girl to the door.

"Thank you Maestro Destler," she said and giggled s Erik opened the door, only to come face to face with Christine.

The two adults stayed quiet as the looked into each other eyes, no words coming from their slightly parted lips. The teenager decided it was time for her to leave and so she slipped away from them.

"Christine," Erik said with barely any breath, her name escaping his lips in the most musical way she had heard.

"Hello Erik," she said and looked down for a second, playing with the hem of her black skirt while mastering courage. "May I come in?"

"...Yes…" he said little hesitant as he moved aside and allowed her to walk in.

His heart was beating faster, and his light blue eyes didn't leave her figure as she took off her black jacket and hanged it, staying only with the midnight blue shirt and black skirt. Her brown dove eyes looked around, taking in the place with a small fascination and a faint smile.

"Would you like… some tea?" he asked as he managed to get a hold of himself and closed the door.

"Tea sounds lovely," she said with a smile and the two of them walked to the kitchen. Christine sat down on the chair as Erik put some water to boil. He kept his back turned on her and his attention on the cattle. "I like how you made this place"

"…Yes… it is good enough… How have you been?"

"Ups and downs but now with Esmé and Gustave, life is much…livelier"

"Children can do that"

There was an awkward pause between them, the tension thick enough to be cut with a knife. They kept not looking at each other, each one deep in their own thoughts. The whistling from the cattle broke the silence and Erik immediately started to prepare the tea.

"You must wonder why I came"

"Yes," he said as he placed a mug of tea in front of her and kept his on the kitchen bench which he decided to lean on with his back, finding it too awkward to sit down with her.

"As you have been informed. My children are holding a sort of a sleepover in the manor and Angel has been invited"

"And you must have been informed of my answer. It is a no" he said, his voice now more stable as the whole incident slowly tipped his anger.

"Why Erik? Why do this to her?"

"I do nothing to her Christine. I am merely protecting her"

"From who? All you do is isolating her more. Thought you didn't want your child to pass through the same thing you did"

"I didn't choose my isolation. I had no choice" he said, his voice rising as he gripped the kitchen bench with enough force to make his knuckles turn white. His other hand held the mug and he took a few deep sips in order to calm down himself, not wanting to unleash his temper on her.

"Well, acting the way you do; Angel has no choice," Christine said as she emptied her cup of tea, keeping her calm in the situation; knowing too well how to talk to him.

Indeed, her words pierced him like razor blades and Erik stayed quiet; slowly mentally admitting that the woman was right, and he was wrong.

* * *

Erik gave in and Angel was more than curious as to what Esmé had done. However, she kept it for herself, temporary, and instead focused on her school work and the material Belle had managed to snatch. Before she or the rest of the company knew it, Friday had come and was almost gone. The evening of that day, they all stayed until the school was closed before the limo came to pick them up.

The two hosts were already home and waited for them. Needless to say, it was an awkward ride in the giant fancy car that the De Chagny kids usually took every day to go and return from school.

"Wow" Belle exclaimed from the window as the car stopped in front of the giant black gates with the De Chagny sigil on them. The metallic giants opened, and the car continued getting closer and closer to the house.

It was a giant manor made from white stone and marble, the front door big and made from cherry wood. The columns that held the small roof to provide shade, shelter but also a fancy image, was carved and shaped into Ionic style. The car took the turn of the house, driving around the fountain with the cupid statue and stopping in front of the stairs. Our heroes climbed off the car, their bags on their shoulders as they took in the majestic building.

"If Dad didn't have such hatred for the said family, he would love to see the architecture of that place," Angel said, remembering that her multi-talented father has also a diploma in architecture and was quite famed in Venice for it.

"I wouldn't mind staying in such place," Adam said as they all stood in front of the door, only for the Butler of the house to open for them.

"Please come in. You have been expected" he said and stepped to the side, allowing our three heroes to walk into the house.

They only took a few steps in before a familiar voice reached their ears.

"You guys!"

They all turned their attention to the top of the double marble staircase, only to see Esmé sliding down the railing with a big smile on her face. She landed gracefully on her feet and immediately started to hug everyone.

First was Adam who was too shocked to hug back and too embarrassed, as his pale cheeks took a nice shade of pink. He earned a smirk and a wink from his childhood friend who was the next one to be hugged. She smiled and placed one hand on the shorter girl's back, having already a soft spot for her. Belle was last and she immediately hugged back with the same force and excitement Esmé had.

"About time," a voice said as Gustave walked down the stairs and stood a little in front of Angel and Adam.

"Yes, now guys come! We will show you to our rooms. Adam will stay with Gustave and you will stay with me!" the younger one said excited and the two males left out a sigh while glaring at each other, not comfortable at all with the idea of sharing a room.

Esmé grabbed Angel's and Belle's hand before pulling them towards the staircase, a big smile on her face. They had just climbed the first step when a new voice reached them.

"Esmé, won't you introduce us to your friends?"

The voice was soft and smooth, belonging to a woman. The said woman walked towards them; her elbow interlocked with the elbow of the man next to her.

"Right, right. Mère, Père my friends, Angel, Adam and Belle. Guys, these are our parents. Christine and Raoul De Chagny"

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Comte, Comtesse" Belle said and gave a very ladylike bow. "Esmé you didn't tell me that your parents shared the same names as the protagonists in the musical"

"Yeah well… didn't think of that much" the younger one lied, for a moment forgetting that Belle was also in the Musical as Madame Giry; ironically.

Angel and Adam looked at each other with the tip of their eyes, both silently confirming that this kind of coincidence was too suspicious for their liking. Destler had to look forward again as she felt a pair of eyes on her. Her eyes interlocked with the blue ones of Raoul, who had a very sour and cold face. She could see it, in his eyes, he didn't like her and thus she wondered if he was the reason her father had such a reaction.

"Anyways. Let's go" the younger of the two siblings said and immediately pulled the girls up the stairs with the two boys following suit.

* * *

Their gathering place was Esmé's room as her brother was in no mood to offer his. Everyone sat on the big space on her white soft rug, creating a circle. The girl's room was quite big with a queen size bed in the middle of one wall, the bed even having drapes over it to keep away the mosquitoes. On one corner was a big desk with 4 shelves right above it, all of them filled with a majority of books; some from school and some for simple reading. Next to the desk, was another one which held a very fancy computer.

At the other side, a big wardrobe that almost reached the ceiling; made from wood and carved in vines and roses.

"Yes, like a pyjama party!" she said once she looked at everyone, a big smile on her face.

"Are you serious? We are not here for any kind of party but to do a job and catch this weirdo" Gustave commented as he folded his hands in front of his chest.

"Well, who says we cannot do both?" a giggle followed, her being not affected at all by the cold tone he brother used. No, she was too happy to let him ruin it.

And thus, our heroes started their investigation by revising everything that had happened up to that point. The pranks, the message written in blood, the fire and the piece of fabric that Belle had obtained. As they all disguised their own theories, Adam stayed silent and rubbed his chin while his mind was in deep thought. Angel who was by his side and knew him too well noticed and decided to be the one to ask.

"What are you thinking?"

"Those pranks… they happened to each one. The first attempt was on Gustave but failed and that is why that person tried again with the chair. Esmé and Belle were also victims but not you, for some reason"

"You are forgetting that I almost had a prop falling on me?"

"I do not think it was for you. I think it was for Joshua"

"Joshua?" Belle repeated confused.

"Yes. The question though is why. Why Joshua and why not target you?"

His question put everyone in deep thoughts as they tried to find the missing link, any clue or explanation for something so weird. If not for Joshua being a target, at least for why Angel was not. There was a silence in the big room, the only sound was the clock on the wall. A few minutes passed and their thinking time was interrupted by a knock on the door. A maid had just informed them that the dinner was ready and that their presence had been requested.

"We will continue this after dinner. Maybe some filled stomachs will help us I think", Adam said, and everyone agreed before standing up and exiting the room.


	8. Chapter 8

The dinner finished faster than it was anticipated but for some, the time felt like it was stopped. There was a very small discussion and also a strong sense of awkwardness along with tension. Thankfully, it all ended once the kids stood up and headed to the bedrooms. Seeing that it was already late and all of them were tired, they agreed on resting and discussing more the day after.

The girls all stayed in one room, Esmé's while the boys stayed in Gustave's; much to their dismay. While the two boys of the group ended up ignoring each other until sleep came, the girls had a more enjoyable discussion. Some chocolate and a pleasant talk made all of them to forget the dinner. Belle was the first to fall asleep, leaving Angel and Esmé alone. The De Chagny was lying on her bed while her two guests were sleeping on mattresses on the floor.

"Angel," the younger one said and turned on her side so she could have a better view of the other girl.

"Hmm?" she asked as she took one headphone out of her ear and turned her head to the side.

"Don't your friends… don't know… not like you anymore because you joined the cast? I mean, it is not something common for you and… you get my point"

"I do and the answer is no because those people are not my friends"

"I do not understand"

"You see, in your life, you will end up having two types of people. One is the close friend who fits the definition. For example, Adam. He is here, helping with all this fiasco and even came to the audition so I wouldn't be alone. Then, there is the rest of the people like my group. They are more like… acquaintances. Yes, we spend some time together and like the same music or movies but that is all"

"I see," Esmé said and smiled before leaving out a yawn. "Thank you"

"Pleasure"

* * *

The same night, a few hours later; our heroes were sleeping peacefully and were unaware of the thunderstorm outside. All but one. Esmé woke up when thunder was heard a little too close for her liking and looked out of the big window. Knowing she couldn't go back to sleep, she pushed off the covers and slowly left the room; not noticing that Angel had woken up and had seen her leave.

Angel closed her eyes and tried to go back to sleep but felt an uneasiness in the bottom of her stomach. After few minutes of agonizing fruitless tries, she pushed off her own covers and decided to check on the young De Chagny. Climbing down the stairs, the marble felt cold against her bare feet but she didn't seem to mind as she kept going her way. She finally spotted her in the living room, sitting on the couch and hugging her knees.

The big windows across from her were covered by the curtains, preventing anyone from seeing the outside world.

"Can't sleep?" she asked as she took a place next to her.

"Angel… I am sorry did I wake you up?"

"It doesn't matter. Now, answer my question"

"…Yes… It's just… thunderstorms are not… my favourite weather…"

"I see," Angel said and looked at the closed curtains, the silence between them. She tapped her knee slightly on the rhythm of the song that had been stuck in her head all day and stayed quiet. After a minute though, she found herself looking at the scared girl with the tip of her eye.

For a moment, instead of Esmé, she saw a younger version of herself. Hugging her knees and curled up in the corner of her room while thunder was heard in the background. A sigh escaped her lips as she stood up and walked towards the windows.

She pulled the curtains open just as lightning flashed on the dark cloudy sky. She then turned and walked back to the couch, sitting next to Esmé who had hugged her knees closer. Angel smiled faintly, seeing once again the similarities. She started to mutter the tone of a song she was very familiar with, before start singing the lyrics in low voice. She didn't want to wake anyone else and her audience was just the girl at her left.

(Lullaby for a stormy night - Vienna Teng)

_Little child, be not afraid  
Though rain pounds harshly against the glass  
Like an unwanted stranger, there is no danger  
I am here tonight_

_Little child, be not afraid  
Though thunder explodes and lightning flash  
Illuminates your tear-stained face  
I am here tonight_

_And someday you'll know  
That nature is so  
The same rain that draws you near me  
Falls on rivers and land  
On forests and sand  
Makes the beautiful world that you'll see  
In the morning_

_Little child, be not afraid  
Though storm clouds mask your beloved moon  
And its candlelight beams, still keep pleasant dreams  
I am here tonight_

_Little child, be not afraid  
Though wind makes creatures of our trees  
And their branches to hands, they're not real, understand  
And I am here tonight_

_And someday you'll know  
That nature is so  
The same rain that draws you near me  
Falls on rivers and land  
On forests and sand  
Makes the beautiful world that you'll see  
In the morning_

**_*_Esmé has subconsciously leaned against her, her back against Angel's chest***

_For you know, once even I was a  
Little child and I was afraid  
But a gentle someone always came  
To dry all my tears, trade sweet sleep for fears  
And to give a kiss goodnight_

_Well now I am grown  
And these years have shown  
That rain's a part of how life goes  
But it's dark and it's late  
So I'll hold you and wait  
'til your frightened eyes do close_

_And I hope that you'll know  
That nature is so  
The same rain that draws you near me  
Falls on rivers and land  
On forests and sand  
Makes the beautiful world that you'll see  
In the morning_

_Everything's fine in the morning  
The rain will be gone in the morning  
But I'll still be here in the morning_

By the time the lullaby was over, Angel looked at the sleeping girl in her chest. She pushed a loose strand away from her face and through some hardship, managed to place her on her back. Walking in piggyback style, she made her way towards the bedroom and was unaware of the Christine who had witnessed everything.


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning, Angel was the first to wake up. The rays of sunlight disturbing her light sleep and causing her to move. Having nothing else to do and not wanting to roam the big manor, she made her way towards the balcony. Now that the rain was over, the sun had risen, and it spread its warmth. She found some peace at the relaxing scene of the green grass and the singing of birds, only to chuckle when the image of her father popped into mind.

Unlike her, he had a certain dislike for bright sun and warm days. However, it never stopped amusing her how he gave in her pleases to go out in the park. She smiled sadly at the sweet childhood memories she had and sat on the railing of the balcony.

Thankful that it had dried up, she made herself comfortable on the marble and leaned her back on the wall. One knee bent and the other straight, she started to hum the lullaby from yesterday. Her fingers tapped on her knee on the slow beat of the song, as her little hum turned into a faint whisper. However, the small-time for herself was interrupted when someone decided to join her.

Christine, wearing a simple white robe walked towards her with a kind smile on her rosy lips. Angel would agree on the fact that the woman was very pretty, even if she has woken up an hour ago or less.

"Madame De Chagny", she greeted, remembering her manners.

"Please call me Christine", the woman said as she stood next to her. Angel withdrew her legs and she took a seat on the marble railing in front of her. "You have a very nice voice Angel"

"Thank you, Madame."

Christine smiled at the manners of the girl and placed her hand on her knee. "Esmé has talked a lot about you. She admires you"

"I am not someone to be admired", she said in a slightly cold tone which was too familiar for the woman. "She is a kind girl, very caring. She needs a proper model"

"That lullaby you sang last night", she asked as she decided to change the subject only for her words to cause a change of emotions to the girl across from her but were only visible in her eyes, the rest of her face keeping a neutral mask. "It was a very sweet one. Did you write it?"

"No… my mother used to sing it to me… when I was younger"

"What happened to her if I may ask?"

"She died from pneumonia" Angel admitted and turned her attention to the garden, trying to keep a stable grip on her emotions. The subject of her mother was never an easy one and she refused to let it affect her more than it already had.

"I am sorry for your loss. I didn't mean-"

"It is fine. No harm is done. It is in the past"

Christine felt a little unsure of what to say next, not failing to notice how cold her tone had turned to. Thinking of something to change the mood, she brought her hand beneath her chin and made her turn so she could see her face.

"Thank you for looking after Esmé, Angel. I am very happy to know that someone does when I am not around"

Angel didn't say anything, not being certain how to reply. She never truly looked after her, only did once the pranks started and had formed their little group. She was thinking to say the truth or deny such statement but for some reason, her mouth didn't want to move.

Instead, she kept looking straight into the brown dove eyes of the woman, feeling a certain calm aura coming from her. Christine smiled and pushed some hair behind the girl's ear while her hand caressed her cheek in a mothering way.

However, their small moment was interrupted when the giant glass windows were pushed open and Raoul made his way towards them.

"There you are Christine", he said and came to a halt a few feet away from them, his face showing that he was not pleased seeing his wife in the company of Angel.

"Good morning monsieur De Chagny. Thank you for the talk Madame", Angel said despite the cold aura and climbed off the railing before walking back inside.

The eyes of the man followed her form closely until she was far gone. Then, they focused on the woman across from him who had stood up from her place and was walking towards him.

"That wasn't very kind Raoul"

"I do not trust her Christine and I would prefer if you kept your distance from her"

"You say that because of Erik, don't you?"

"Don't say his name!", his tone raised suddenly but kept his demeanour in check. "This girl is just like her father and sooner or later you will see it as well"

"She is not her father," she said as she took a deep breath. "They differ and you cannot judge her because of him and the past that has nothing to do with her"

"I won't stay here and argue with you, Christine. This discussion is over!" and with those words, Raoul walked back inside and left her standing on the balcony alone and upset.

* * *

Not too long after, the rest of the company woke up and everyone ate breakfast together. It was once again awkward for some, the discussion with Christine hadn't help much either. However, once it was over; everyone scattered.

Meg ended up getting some nice talk with Christine, Raoul focused on his newspaper locked in his office and the two boys went upstairs to play videogames. Esmé and Angel were the only one left and the first decided to give a tour around the manor.

It didn't last for long and Angel looked impressed by the fine architecture of the place. However, her attention was drawn to a music room which had started to gather dust. Angel walked in while Esmé looked from the door. The older teen wiped some dust from the black cover of the grand piano and lifted the lid. Her fingers gently caressed the keys before she started to play.

**[Touhou U.N. Owen Was Her (Death Waltz)]**

The song had a fast beat, allowing her to show her unique skills as she played with the talent of an experienced composer.

Once she finished, she was pulled back into the reality by the faint clapping which came from Esmé. Angel didn't fail to notice the silent movements of her body. The girl wanted to dance and thinking the words of Christine, she smiled.

"I will play you a song, but only if you dance"

"Me? Dance?!" she asked in a raised tone, her cheeks turning a deep red. "I… I cannot… dance"

"Nonsense. I saw you in the rehearsals. You dance more than fine as Meg. You can do this"

Hesitant, the younger girl walks deeper into the room. Gives a nod to Angel and the raven haired started to play. However, she noticed that Esmé was very stiff and stopped.

"Did… Did I do something wrong?" she asked.

"Yes. You think too much. You are too stiff. Close your eyes ***hesitantly, Esmé obeys*** take a deep breath and let the music guide you"

Angel started to play a different part. Deciding to go with fur Elise. Her fingers ran across the keys with ease, herself getting lost into the rhythm but she wasn't the only one. Esmé had managed to relax and the passion in the music took her with it.

**[Beethoven - Fur Elise in Piano]**

Her body moved in the arts of ballet, her body showing a new hidden fire that she kept well hidden. When the fast part came, Angel closed her eyes and let her memory play her favorite part. Her speed and talent so great, that the younger teen had to stop and observe in awe.

Once it came to an end, the raven-haired noticed that someone was not dancing and gave her a look, a scolding one. Immediately the ballerina went back to dancing as once again Angel lost herself into the music.

Unaware to them, Christine was watching from the little opening they had left at the door. A smile appeared on her lips as she observed and slowly, the scene in front of her changed,

Instead of the music room in the manor, they were in a music class in the Populaire. The Piano was less grate, and Erik was playing a famous composition. While little away from him, a teenage Christine practiced her dancing skills, both lost in their passion for music.

* * *

The next day after the sleepover, our heroes were back to school. During lunch time, they met in the library like normal due to a new discovery which had been brought up by Adam, Sitting on a far away table, everyone looked at the teenager.

"So what did you find?" Gustave asked as he leaned back on the chair, his arms folded in front of his chest.

"This fabric that Belle managed to obtain, belongs to a costume"

"A costume?" The said woman repeated confused.

"Yes. But unlike other costumes, this material is silk. Expensive and rare to find nowadays"

"Why?" Esmé wondered.

"Silk costumes are overrated. Also very expensive and were more popular in the 1800s. Where silk was the clothing of the rich. A way for them to distinguish themselves between poorer people"

"We don't need history lessons, you know" Gustave reminded him.

"So, is there any place that could sell such clothes?"

"There is an antique shop which is also famous for old style clothing. Usually people choose It for Halloween or some mascaraed. We can go and ask questions in the evening, after school"

"Can't" Belle said sharply. "I mean, Granny Giry will take me to a ballet performance. And I cannot come"

"I also can't come since my dad wants to inspect my whole room and do his monthly routines ***everyone looks at him*** don't ask. He has the fear that I hide drugs or something under my pillow"

"Then, I guess Gustave, Esmé and I are the only ones who will go?"

"Great," the other boy in the company said and scoffed.


	10. Chapter 10

The very same evening, Gustave, Angel and Esmé walked towards the shop. The raven-haired knew the shop since she passed by it many times but never truly paid it a lot of attention. Now she wondered what they could do and most importantly, what they could find that would lead them to this notorious prankster.

Speaking of them, they hadn't made any pranks after the school fire and she kept wondering why. The rehearsals had also come to a halt as the assistant of the director burnt her arm during the said fire.

Something didn't seem to stick up in her mind, but she had yet to find out what.

"We are here," Esmé said and she focused on reality, noticing that they were in front of the shop.

"Let's get this over with," Gustave said and was the first to push the door and enter, the girls following right after.

The bell above the door left out a clinging sound as the trio walked deeper into the old shop. It was mostly wooden with different old antiques surrounded them. Deep into the small room, was the desk with the cashier and behind it was a hallway which led to the costume room.

The trio looked around, but Gustave was the first to walk to the desk. No one was there and he found himself hitting the reception bell a few times. At last, a man came out.

He had long black hair and a long black beard. A dragon tattoo could be seen on his neck beneath his metal t-shirt.

"Yes?!" he asked annoyed and eyed the trio carefully.

Esmé grabbed Angel's hand and cowered a little behind her while Gustave looked the man in the eyes.

"We want to know if you have a cloak or jacket or whatever costume it is that is made from this material," he asked and passed him the piece of fabric.

The man grabbed a spyglass and eyed it carefully under the dull light lamp for a few seconds. He then closed the lamp and looked at them.

"We do. A pair of cloaks. Why you ask?"

"Can you tell us to whom you sold them perhaps? Or who is interested in them?" Angel said, trying to sound less rude.

"What are you kids, cops?" the man asked ironically and laughed. "Customer Privacy Policy guys. Come with real adults and a warrant and I will let you know"

"Why you-"Gustave was about to start a fight but Angel grabbed his wrist and pulled him out of the shop along with Esmé. "Hey! Let me go!"

"Don't let your masculinity get the best of you" she explained calmly. "There are other ways to find out what we want"

"And how do you suggest that genius? Break-in, during the night and search the receipts? He asked sarcastically but her face showed that she was serious. "Oh you must be kidding me"

"I can do it. You don't have to come along and risk your sorry rick ass. Right now, we need to move forward with all of this. I will come later at night and do the job for us"

"No way. I will come with you as well. I cannot let you risk everything by doing a mistake"

"You have a lot of nerve telling me that I will do a mistake. Maybe you coming along will ruin everything"

The two teens glared at each other, faces extremely close as they kept arguing and accusing each other. Esmé was watching with an amused smirk, seeing a small spark between the two of them.

After another minute of arguing, their anger subsided, and both swallowed their egos.

"Ok. So, I will meet you tonight at midnight here."

"Deal," Angel said as the trio started to walk towards the closest bus stop.

Apparently, the siblings would take a bus since they didn't want the driver to draw too much attention; much to Gustave dismay. While they walked, they were clueless of what was waiting for them.

* * *

Inside the same shop, the man watched from behind the counter the kids arguing. Once they started to walk away, he grabbed his phone and pressed a number.

"Yes. The kids are leaving. Shall we proceed?"

A wicked smirk appeared on his dry lips and he hangs the call before pressing another button and started to talk with another man.

* * *

The three friends walked the now dark and dimly light road towards the bus stop. The sun had set a long time ago since winter was coming. The not so fancy area they were in was deserted and gave an omnivorous aura which made a certain Esmé nervous.

She kept holding Angel's hand while the trio walked in silence. At last, the bus stop across the street was visible and by checking the time, they noticed they had a few minutes before the bus would come.

However, before they could cross the street, a hand was placed around Esmé's mouth as she was pulled into the dark alley behind them. Since she was holding Angel's hand, the two teens quickly noticed and jumped into the alley to help the younger girl.

With a quick punch, Angel had hit the guy on the nose and helped her to get away from him. Watching better, she noticed that it was the same man from the antique shop but this time, he wasn't alone.

Around 10 more men emerged from the shadows, all earing leather jackets and holding knives or brass knuckles or just having their fists ready. Gustave and Angel pushed Esme in the middle and tried to form a protective wall between her and the thugs.

"This is not good" the raven-haired stated.

She could take them on but with Gustave and worse Esmé in the middle, it was much tougher.

"You don't freaking say" Gustave commented and soon a battle erupted.

Trying their best, the two of them kept pushing away the thugs while trying to deliver a strong kick or punch on them. Poor Esmé was shaking but managed to kick a thug who tried to grab her leg and Angel soon finished him off with a strong kick on the face.

Gustave turned to check what had happened, allowing an opening for a thug to hit him with a rock on the side of his head. He fell on the floor with a loud thud, losing fast all consciousness.

"Gustave!" Esmé shouted as she ran to her brother, but one man grabbed her from behind.

He lifted her up on the air, but she bit his hand and kicked with all her might, causing him to let her go. She fell on the ground, adrenaline pumping in her veins and her heart beating faster. She started to crawl towards her brother, but someone pulled her leg.

She let out a loud scream which earned Angel's attention. However, before she could assist, someone else did. A figure dressed in black and wearing a long black coat jumped from the rooftop.

Esmé didn't manage to see her saviour who grabbed the thug by the neck and slammed him against the wall as if he was nothing. Her powers started to abandon her and into the darkness of the night, she managed to get a glimpse of a white mask before fainting.

* * *

When Esmé gained her consciousness for the first time, her head hurt, and her body felt heavy. Trying to open her eyes, she failed but her ears seemed to be able to catch sounds or better words.

The faint arguments reached her ears. One voice belonged to Angel and the other to a man, his voice heavy and like velvet to her ears.

"I can't believe you did something so foolish!"

"I can't believe you put a tracker on me!"

"Good thing I did or you and them would be dead!"

Her little powers soon disappeared, and she found herself falling back to sleep without listening to the rest of the argument.

* * *

The second time, Esmé had full control of both her body and her senses. Opening her eyes, she noticed that she was not in her room in the manor. No she was in a simple room with dark maroon walls and a dark wooden floor.

She was laying on a double sized bed with velvet covers and a very soft mattress. She stayed there, looking at the white ceiling while trying to process what have happened. Her train of thought came to a halt when a groan was heard by her side.

Turning her head, she noticed Gustave waking up slowly and having one palm pressed against his bandaged temple. Apparently, the rock that had hit him had also injured his skin but someone had done a good job treating him.

"Gustave… you okay?" she asked as a smile appeared on her lips and a second later hugged her brother. "I was so worried"

"I will survive" the boy said and decided to let this hug continue, realizing how scared his sister had been. "Where are we? What happened?"

"I don't know. Last thing I remember is someone saving me… and a white mask"

"A white mask? You sure you weren't the one who hit her head?" he asked and the younger one smiled.

"Haha. Very funny"

The two of them chuckled but stopped as they tried to proceed where they were.

"Get off. Let's see where the heck we are"

Esmé obediently climbed off him and then the bed, standing on slightly weak legs. She kept her balance and made her way towards the black door with her brother following. Peeping outside, they noticed that they were on the first floor of a house with a simple staircase at their very right.

The room they were in was at the very left with two more doors next to them. All of them had the same black color with the middle one saying 'Keep Out' in Neon Red Paint. Slowly they walked towards the latter but came to a halt when they heard something heavy falling on the floor.

The sound was muffled, something preventing it from making true heavy noise. Then, it happened again and again. Looking at each other, the duo walked down the stairs and followed the sound.

They ended up in front of black double doors which were opened slightly, allowing them to see the inside room they hid. The room was not very big with different equipment on the sides, from boxing gloves and boxing bag to weights, a treadmill and jumping rope.

In the middle of the room, was a whole new show. The falling sound was no one other than an exhausted Angel who was being defeated by a muscular man. Wearing only a sport bra and shorts, the panting girl charged at the man again.

She aimed for his neck, but he pushed her wrist aside and aimed for her neck instead. She sidestepped and brought her left leg for a kick, but the man grabbed it before she could hit him. Quickly she brought her other leg, hoping to force him to release her but the man simply grabbed her other leg and slammed her on the mattress below them.

A groan escaped her lips as the man let her go.

"Again" he said between pants, anger hearable in his voice.

He wore simple black sweatpants and a white t shirt which was sticking on his muscled back from the sweat. His black hair was sliced back and barely seem affected by the intense exercising, unlike Angel's who had managed to escape her ponytail.

Jumping on her legs with one try, the said girl tried to swipe the legs beneath her trainer, but the man jumped and then grabbed her left arm. She brought her legs around his neck, but the man easily pushed them away before she could and in a fast move, she had her arm pinned against her back and his knee on the back of her neck.

"You are predictable" he said as he kept his grip on her until she slammed her hand on the mattress three times.

"You are…too angry" Angel said between pants as she rubbed her aching back and neck but came to a halt when she sensed someone watching. The man had sensed it as well as he turned his head to the right.

"I am pretty sure… you two should have been taught what privacy means" he said coldly and looked at them behind his half white mask.

"The Phantom!" Esmé exclaimed and fell on her butt from the shock of the white mask. "Wait" she mumbled as she remembered the white mask on the rescuer of hers.

"Lesson done for today" Erik said as he fixed his hair and walked out of the room.

The two siblings immediately parting, giving him the space he needed to pass while looking slightly shocked at the man.

"How are you two feeling?" Angel asked while rubbing the back of her neck and having a towel absorbing her sweat.

"Been better" Gustave explained. "Was he your father?"

"Yes. He was not very happy with how things ended and wanted me to remember that" she admitted and cracked her neck. "Give me 15 minutes to shower and I will explain guys to you everything. I advise you go back to your room; he doesn't like when people roam the house"


	11. Chapter 11

After a quick shower, Angel met the De Chagny siblings in the room and briefly explained to them what had happened. Apparently, her father had put a tracker on her phone and when she hadn't returned by nightfall, he went to look for her.

It was him who saved them and helped fight the thugs, who were later tied with a rope and had the police come over. With his help, they had placed the two siblings on the bed, and she had taken care of Gustave wound.

There had also been a fierce argument between father and daughter about the tracker and the risky situation, forcing Angel to explain their whole spying and searching for clues. Then, it ended up with her having her butt being kicked during training.

"Wow" Esmé commented as Angel finished the story.

"So what now?"

"Well, he did warn me to stop this or else *rolls her eyes* and also want you to call your parents and tell them what happened"

"It is not possible. They are out of Paris to visit uncle Philip. Won't be back until tomorrow night. Maybe they shouldn't know about it. Papa will be furious" Esmé said.

"No, they should. We put our lives at risk for a stupid thing and we lied to them constantly" Gustave argued.

"They shouldn't!"

"They should. I am older and what I say happens"

"Not this time!"

"I see stubbornness and ego runs in the family," a new voice said and everyone turned towards the door, only to see Erik leaning against the frame with his hands in front of his chest.

"Excuse me?" Gustave asked as he narrowed his eyes on him.

"You heard me. Stubborn like your insolent father. Always wanting to have the last word"

"Don't talk like that about my father!" Gustave said in a raised tone and stood up; Erik walked to meet him in the middle of the room.

He walked casually, not even slightly afraid of the offensive stance the boy in front of him had. If he wanted, Erik could end his life on the spot, and he was very itchy to do it. From his face to his character, he kept reminding him of Raoul and he didn't like it.

"Oh I will talk as I please. You get angry because you know its true. I am sure your father didn't even care to change!"

"My father is a great man! Unlike you. You have no right to talk about him!"

"Oh, is that so? I have no right? Says who? You? A pretty boy who grew up eating from a golden plate?"

Esmé got worried, seeing the two of them now face to face. Angel knew that a fight would break soon and unfortunately for Gustave, her father would win. He was dangerous when he was angry and that personal vendetta with Raoul seemed dangerous.

"Enough you two!" she said as she placed her hands between them and tried to keep them away from each other.

"Stay out of this Angelique"

"Yeah, stay out of it"

"I said… ENOUGH!" she shouted, much louder than she ever had before.

The two of them stopped and looked at her shocked, no one having her capable of raising her voice like that. She was always reserved, calm and never rose her tone to a higher octave. But this outburst proved that perhaps they had crossed the line.

The two of them muttered curses and insults under their breaths before taking a few steps back and leave a pissed off Angel glare at both of them.

"Doesn't matter. They have to go back" Erik started after a minute of silence, his temper in check. "We have to go to your uncle tomorrow morning"

"Or they can come with us" she suggested.

"Absolutely not"

"Uncle Nadir won't mind"

"I will" A starring contest started between father and daughter. Both fighting for dominance and whose opinion would matter. The tension grew thicker and the two siblings looked at each other worried. In the end, Erik gave in. "Fine, I will think about it overnight"

Angel smirked in victory and pecked his unmasked cheek. "Thank you Père"

"Now, all of you rest," he said and exited the room.

"Do you think he will let us come with you?" Esmé asked.

"He will. I have a plan" she said, the smirk never leaving her face. "I hope you won't mind sharing the bed but there is no other room"

"It's fine," Gustave told her.

* * *

The very next morning, the clock showed 7 and Erik was already up and cooking breakfast. His mood was sour since the kids had stayed overnight, most specifically since Gustave had stayed over.

He didn't mind the younger girl; she was quiet and reminded him of Christine a lot. It hurt but was tolerable. He had gotten used to it as years passed by. Angel was a solid proof of that.

As he cooked, he heard someone coming down the stairs and soon Esmé walked into the kitchen, all dressed and clean. She stopped at the door and looked at Erik.

His unmasked part of his face was visible, and she found his facial featured quite attractive. It didn't help that he had worn a white shirt with a very big V which showed that he was a man who took care of himself.

She smiled and tried to approach him but found her confidence leaving her when his blue eyes looked at her. He was handsome but at the same time, gave a demeanour and aura of someone you shouldn't cross twice.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and brought back the smile on her lips.

"Monsieur Destler… I… I wanted to thank you for saving us… and letting us stay in your house for the night"

"Hmm…It is nothing big. Couldn't let you get killed either way. Dead children are not what I want in my consciousness" he said and Esmé wanted to laugh at the similarities she saw between him and his daughter.

"And what you said about our father…you were right, about some stuff. He is no perfect…but he tries…in his way"

Erik closed the stove and turned his full attention on the petit girl in front of him. The same dove eyes he had fallen in love with stared at him with kindness. Her words repeated themselves in his mind.

The more he looked, the more similarities and memories he ended up seeing. Taking a deep breath, he took control of his mind and cleared his throat.

"You should stand up and speak up more often" was all he said and gave a faint smile which disappeared as soon as it came by the arrival of Gustave and Angel in the kitchen.

As they all sat down to eat the exotic breakfast which consisted of eggs, fruits, hummus, fresh bread and tea; Angel looked at her father.

"You two will be coming with us today. I expect you to not cause any trouble" he said normally.

Angel smiled and winked at Esmé who was shocked but also excited for this new trip that they were about to embark on.

"Once we are back, we can leave you close to the mansion. I am sure you can take care of the rest" Angel said, and the siblings gave a nod.

* * *

Our 4 heroes were inside a train cabin, making their way to Rouen where the man called Nadir, lived. During the whole trip, everyone was silent. On one side, the two siblings sat next to each other with Esmé close to the window so she could watch the endless green fields of France.

Across from them, Erik and Angel sat with the first busy reading the newspaper and the latter listening to music on her phone. Her eyes were adverted outside, a personal satisfaction inside her that her plan work.

She had texted Nadir the previous night, informing him parts of the situation and asking him to help. The man gladly agreed and had called Erik the very first morning, persuading him to let the De Chagny teens come along.

She felt a pair of eyes on her and she turned her attention towards the source, who was none other than Gustave. For the first few seconds, they looked at each other without any emotion on their faces but Angel found herself smiling faintly at him.

He was a pain in the ass sometimes, but she had found a liking to his company when it didn't lead to the two of them argue. To her surprise, the boy smiled slightly as well, and they kept looking at each other before breaking the eye contact once they realized what was going on.

* * *

Once they arrived at their destination, the two siblings looked around in awe. They were walking on top of a small hill towards a cottage. Endless green grass, flowers and trees surrounded them.

They would never admit it, but the two of them never had the chance to explore not even Paris. Always having a driver to drop them and pick them up and rarely letting Gustave hang out with his teammates.

However, their parents were always busy or never found a reason to take them out of the city. Christine had promised many times, but it was up to Raoul for the final decision. Once, he had taken them to the zoo when they were younger but that was all.

Esmé smiled and noticed that her brother also was pleased for a change of scenery. This was a whole new thing and we're glad to be part of it. At last, they arrived at the cottage where a man was waiting for them in front of the door.

He was a man, maybe 10 years older than their parents. He seemed to be in his late 60s due to his white hair, but his green eyes showed that he was still young and full of energy. He wore westernized clothes but what stood out was the red Fez on top of his head.

"Angelique. Welcome back!" he said as he spread his arms and gave a strong hug to the shorter girl.

"Hey uncle Nadir," she said with a smile as she returned the hug.

She always had a soft spot for her father's old friend and had spent many years in his house during weekend trips or summer vacations.

"And I presume those two are your friends?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you monsieur. My name is Esmé De Chagny and he is my brother Gustave" the younger one said and gave a mannered bow, causing a smile on Nadir's wrinkled face.

"I am Nadir Khan but please call me Nadir young mademoiselle," he said as he placed a hand above his heart and gave a bow himself.

Gustave stayed quiet but bowed slightly as well. After all, the man had offered to allow them into his house even though they were mere strangers to him.

"Should we get going Nadir?" Erik asked, getting annoyed as time passed by.

The man smiled. "Didn't have you for such impatient guy my friend?" he said as he started to walk around the cottage and motioning for them to follow.

They did and after five minutes of walk, they saw some well-built horse stables with 9 magnificent beasts inside. A servant was cleaning the hey and poop while the creatures sat quietly.

"Wow," Esmé exclaimed as she walked inside the stables first, watching the creatures with wide eyes.

She had seen horses before and even rode twice in her life but that was many years ago. And the horses Nadir had were obviously of a better class than the one she had met. They were proud, strong and gave an air of nobility.

"Is this why we came here? For the horses?" Gustave asked, trying to sound less rude as he looked at them with indifference.

"Not exactly young Vicomte. It has been a long time since Angelique's last test. It was about time to see if she had improved or not"

"What test?" Esmé asked as she turned and looked at him.

"Angelique here is a talented horse rider. Each time they visit me, there is usually a race between her and her father"

"It is mostly a tie" Ange; informed her as she petted her dad's horse, a pure black stallion while Erik fed him some sugar.

"I should have known" Gustave commented and scoffed as he looked on a pure white mare.

"Excuse me? So you can ride better than me and you think you can also win my father?"

"Easily," he said, not hiding his cockiness.

Despite his tone, Gustave had a lot of experience with horses. Before his sister started to walk and later talk, he was taken by his father to his uncle where he learnt horse riding. He said that all the nobles and aristocrats know how to ride and even one of his uncle's social groups were going for weekly horse riding.

He never found a big love for it but never dared to disappoint his father. He practised and took everything in like a sponge. Then, his parents started to focus on his sister and his lessons were long forgotten.

"Easy huh? I doubt you had ever been on a horse"

"Trust me I have"

"Well then, why don't you show us some of your skills oh experienced _De Chagny_ "

"Watch it Destler. I do not want to see you crying when I prove you wrong"

As the two of them dared and insulted each other passively, Nadir found the chance and slipped next to Erik with an amused smile on his face.

"Ah, young love. Such a beautiful thing, don't you say my friend?"

"Do not let your imagination run wild Nadir. He is a De Chagny"

"I do not see any problem with that"

The masked man ignored him and focused his eyes on the young Vicomte.


	12. Chapter 12

In the end, a race would take place as it was planned. However, this time the race would be between Gustave and Erik; to prove if the young man indeed possessed the skills he gloated about.

Standing in front of the stables, the younger of the two was on top of the white mare, he had spotted before while Erik was on top of Cesar, his loyal pure black stallion which he always rode.

The stable boy counted down to 3 and the two of them gave a strong kick to their horses. The magnificent creatures immediately galloped down the hill and raced side by side the path of the race.

At the other side, way righter, Nadir was sitting on top of his loyal Arabian with Esme by his side. He had offered her a pony due to her height and inexperience with horses. From their spot on the hill, they kept an eye on the race.

"Where is Angel?" she asked as she didn't spot her friend anywhere.

Nadir smirked as a blur of black shot like a bullet from the stables. It reached the two horses which were competing and past by them without stopping. The sudden attack shocked the two horses who rose to their back feet, but their riders immediately calmed them down.

Noticing black hair on the rider of the new stallion, the two of them quickly raced after it; not wanting to lose.

Angel smirked as she rode on Noir, the stallion she had risen since it was a mere foal. Son of Cesar and that White mare (named Bianca), Noir had the colours of his father except for a white sock on the right back leg.

Holding the reins steadily, she rode without a saddle and found herself turning around only to see the two men catching up to her. The small momentum of the downhill had long past and now it was a race of skill and speed.

She focused her eyes on the front, but a familiar cry caused all three of them to come to a halt. Turning right, they saw Esmé holding on the rains of her pony with fear as the short creature had started to gallop down the hill.

It seemed to listen to neither her nor Nadir, as it kept gaining speed while the young girl was trying desperately to stay on top of the saddle. The first to snap from the shock was Angel who immediately turned her horse and started to run after the pony.

Erik and Gustave quickly took a shortcut from the nearby forest along with Nadir, hoping to appear in front of the pony and force it to stop.

At the same time. Angel pushed Noir to run faster and soon was side by side with the pony. As if the horse understanding the situation, it kept a steady road and tried his best to be next to the shorter horse.

Taking a deep breath, Angel slowly started to rise on the bare back of her stallion. Her knees shook as she tried to hold her balance on it. Seeing the tears that were running down Esmé's cheeks, she focused harder.

Slowly, she managed to stand with her legs bent and her feet on the back of Noir. Taking a deep breath, she jumped and landed right behind the scared girl. She grabbed the reins and pulled with force while Noir sped up and blocked the pony's path.

This caused the pony to come to a halt and after a few pets on the neck by Angel, it calmed down fully. At the same time, the three men rode towards them, relieved that everything and everyone was okay.

Angel jumped down the horse and helped a shaking Esmé right after. Gustave jumped first from his horse and hugged his scared sister as Nadir and Erik approached them by foot.

Adrenaline left her body and she found her legs weak, her mind replaying the crazy stand she had just pulled. Her father came right behind her and let her lean on his chest while Nadir patted her shoulder.

"A very fine rescue and even finer technique my dear. I think you surpassed your father" he said, and she gave a faint smile.

The small moment of peace was interrupted when Gustave pointed a finger at Erik.

"This is all your fault! You brought us here and put her on that thing and she almost got killed!" he accused him, and the man felt his anger rising.

"Excuse me? Am I to be blamed? For taking you with me, allowing you to come here and ride my horses!"

To their surprise, someone spoke up.

"Stop it, Gustave," Esmé said with a shaking voice as she pushed her brother aside. "It's not his fault… it's mine. I should have been more careful with my horse. Do not blame Monsieur Destler or anyone else but me"

Everyone was shocked, hearing the newly found confidence coming from her. She didn't hesitate, she didn't stop and didn't let her voice tremble. She spoke without fear or worry, standing up for injustice as she had never done before.

"Well, what matters is that we are all okay. Now, let us return and have some nice tea don't you think?" Nadir suggested and everyone nodded before silently follow him back to the house.

Everyone rode on their horses, Esmé even petting hers and apologizing to it. Of course, a rope was holding her horse with Erik's, but the man watched her with pride in his light blue eyes. The little girl had finally started to grow.

* * *

The very same night, the two siblings were back at the manor. Dressed in their pyjamas, Esmé was lying on her bed and doing her math homework while Gustave was in front of his computer, writing an essay he had to give in by Monday morning.

Their parents arrived home around 8 and were completely unaware of what had taken place. The kids had talked with the staff and informed them that they had slept to the houses of their friends.

Those people worked for years, most knowing the duo since they were babies and could see the new excitement and change in their behaviour. Realizing that this escape had done them well, and never agreeing in the first place with their parents who had them locked up; they agreed to the story.

The couple separated to the two rooms. Christine walked into Esmé's room and gave a kiss on her forehead.

"How was your sleepover," she asked after being informed by the servants.

"It was good. We studied mostly and discussed the latest book in the Olympus series"

"I am glad to hear that," the woman said and smiled, pushing some hair out of her face while her daughter leaned on the warm and soft hand of her mother.

At the same time, Gustave had been visited by Raoul.

"How is uncle?" he asked as he stopped and turned to look at his father.

"He is good. Asking about you as per usual and saying that he might visit us when his schedule clears"

"I see" he replied calmly and there was a silence between them which was broken by Christine.

"Gustave my dear, do not stay too long on the computer. It's getting late" he said and kissed his forehead, despite him not liking as much as he used to.

Still, it felt good getting some attention and sweet words from the woman he always had a soft spot for.

"I won't Mère," he said and watched the two of them leaving.

He turned on his computer, but he was soon interrupted by Esme who walked in with a smile on her face.

"Hey Gustave," she said as he held her hands behind her back.

"What is it?"

"I want to ride a horse again," she said and giggled as her brother grabbed a nearby pillow and tossed it at her.

It hit her straight in the face but was careful not to put any force behind him. The girl burst out laughing, left the pillow on his bed and walked back to her room; leaving a smiling Gustave behind.

* * *

Three weeks after the incident and everything had calmed down. The trio informed the rest of the company about their little adventure and all agreed to lay low for a while until things calmed down.

It would also help Angel to take the suspicions off her since her father kept a close eye on her after all this. All of them, though, were equally determined to continue and put an end to this.

The two boys of the company, especially, since they wanted to make the person pay for risking Esmé life by pulling such tricks.

Their lives turned back to normal with school and the theatre team occupying most of their time. The company met every Monday in the library to discuss their everyday stuff and making sure that nothing had happened while they were separated.

Before they knew it, October had almost ended, and the Parent meeting had arrived. It was a meeting, held every half of a trimester and as its name suggested; parents could come to see the teachers and get a brief report of their child's progress so far.

Because of that, School had ended a little earlier than usual and all the kids were on the front; waiting for their parents. Our heroes were as well, each one of them into their groups.

Angel stood in a small circle next to the people she associated with, always close to the wall and away from the sunlight. They were passing around a cigarette which also found its way to her black lips.

She took a deep one and let a big puff of smoke escape while she passed it around. She wasn't a smoker but found that once in a while didn't hurt and proved to be quite relaxing. She wasn't worried about the reports, knowing she did well but rather on her father who was breathing down her neck ever since the incident.

Suddenly, the talking between her group stopped and her friends shrunk slightly with fear. Angel felt the presence behind her and immediately realized the whole reason behind the unusual behaviour.

"Hello Père," she said with a smile as she turned to look at him.

"Angel," he said as he glared to the group which immediately hurried away from his terrifying demeanour

His clothing didn't help since he wore a black long coat which was buttoned up and a black hat which cast a shadow on his masked half.

"Drama" she muttered under her breath as only Adam was left.

"I see you are around my daughter," he said and looked at the teen who had grown accustomed to the intimidating man.

"Good evening to you too monsieur. I would like to say that she is still around me" Adam joked, only to earn a hit on the ribs by Angel's elbow.

Yes, her father had a better tolerance for him, but he shouldn't risk it by making such jokes. Adam knew better than anyone how fast Erik's mood could change along with how capable he was in many fields, including fighting.

Before Erik could reply to this remark, someone came behind him.

"Hello Destler," the voice said, and the said man turned to look on the detective.

He was ahead shorter with dark brown greasy hair and a very ugly brown moustache. He wore a simple light blue shirt, brown pants with the detective badge on it and a worn-out cheap brown coat.

"Luther, still sober I see," Erik said as he looked down at the man.

The said man was Adam's father and a detective in the local police force. However, his history with Erik goes back more than 10 years when he was still an alcoholic. He was a policeman during that time, used to drink a lot after work and taking out his anger on Adam.

One day, Angel had gone to his house to study with him and witnessed the whole incident. Adam had managed to push her out of the way and saved her from one of his attacks. The very same day, she had told her father everything who went to the house and gave Luther a lesson.

Then he called the police and Luther was sent to rehab while Adam stayed with his grandmother at the edge of Paris. He kept contact with Angel and two years later his father came out clean and things calmed down in his house.

The two men kept glaring at each other, especially since Adam had taken deep respect for Erik and even saw him as a father figure. The man might have acted cold or indifferent to the teen but had acknowledged him many times for his talent in the programming and computers.

Deep down, though, he still blamed him for introducing this phase to his daughter and making her the woman who is today. Dressed in black, died hair, makeup and loud metal music which didn't sound pleasing at all to his well-trained ears.

Adam cleared his throat. "Father, shall we get going?"

"Yes, we shall. Good evening Destler" the man said and along with his son walked inside the school.

A silence stayed between father and daughter but was broken by the sound of a familiar high-pitched voice.

"Carlotta," both said subconsciously at the same time and caused to look at each other with confusion.

"How do you know Carlotta?" Erik asked her.

"How do you know her?" she asked him in return,

"She was 2 years older than me when I was a student here"

"Wait what? Impossible. She is in my class"

"What Carlotta are you talking about?" he asked her as both started to suspect that something didn't fit right.

Angel pointed at the direction where the voice came from, only for both of them to see two people. One was a tall woman with curly red hair and exotic features, wearing an expensive dress and having little too much makeup on her face.

Next to her, was a 17-year-old Carlotta which Angel knew, unfortunately, for 6 years now.

"Wow," she exclaimed.

"Did she name her daughter after herself?" he asked in disbelief once everything started to make sense.

"Apparently. At least you didn't have her in your class"

"I had her in my drama team. Loud and obnoxious, screaming like a Banshee and shaming each note that left her mouth. She was lead until… until she was replaced by someone better"

"Too many similarities. Her daughter is the leader of the cheerleaders and the most popular girl. Also a very big bully. Did I mention that she is my understudy? She was lead until I came along. At least she has good vocal range but tends to tire her throat and confusing the octaves"

Both women could be heard discussing and raising their voices, as they spoke in Italian. The victim of such words was some students who passed by and were the main gossip or criticism between the two of them.

The two Destler left out a sigh at the same time at the repetitive patterns that could be observed. Genes they tell you.

"Somethings never change," Erik said.

"Tell me about it. Shall we go in?"

"Yes, it is about time" he agreed as he took off his hat and passed it to her.

He smoothed his hair, making sure they were perfect and also earned some attention due to his half-white mask being visible. He unbuttoned his coat and took it off quite dramatically (like the lair scene) before giving it to Angel as well.

He fixed his tight white shirt which showed his toned body and lifted the sleeves to elbow length. By then, many women looked at him as his charms had started to work out and his mask gave an aura of mystery which was compelling for most women; ironically married women.

She passed him his belongings which he hanged on his left arm before the duo walk inside the school, many pair of eyes following them. As they leave, the two Carlotta spotted them.

"Destler," they said at the same time with the same tone of annoyance and jealousy before looking at each other and continue their commenting in Italian.


	13. Chapter 13

After an hour of visiting the difference teachers, Angel and Erik exited a classroom only to spot a familiar face a few doors below. Christine and Esmé were walking down the corridor and the 4 of them stopped across from each other.

"Christine/Erik" they greeted each other at the same time.

The woman seemed a little shocked but smiled warmly at him, her eyes shown certain emotions and likeness for the man. She seemed to be compelled to him and he was to her.

Erik's breathing was heavy and his shoulders were lifted up and down as he was in an inner fight to hold himself from acting in a certain way. His light blue eyes were focused on her brown doe ones and couldn't find the power to look away.

Angel and Esmé looked at each other confused, never have seen their parents acting in such away. However, the small moment disappeared when a door opened, and Gustave with Raoul walked towards them.

Immediately, Erik's eyes turned cold and filled with hatred as he got a strong grip on himself. He straightened his back and narrowed his eyes slightly when Raoul stopped next to his wife.

"Destler/De Chagny" they greeted for formality, the temperature falling a few degrees with their tone.

Spite and hatred could be seen in their eyes as they glared at each other like two predators, hunting the same prey. Only that this time, Raoul had the win as he placed his hand around Christine waist n pulled her slightly closer to her.

That immediately caused a big change in Erik's aura, a change that Angel didn't fail to notice and even got scared. Such anger was never seeing radiating from him, not even when he saved her from those thugs or when she told him about Luther.

"I see you haven't changed," Raoul said first, a smirk on his face.

"Neither have you" Erik replied coldly.

"Have you met Gustave? The team leader of the football team and a candidate for prom king. Sounds familiar?" he asked and looked at Angel with a disapproving look.

"Indeed. However, I do hope his grades do not bear any similarities" the masked man replied and it was his turn to smirk while his opponent frowned.

The 3 teens looked confused at their parents and then at each other, each one equally lost at such strange behaviour.

"Raoul dear. We should get going" Christine said in her sweet voice and placed her arms on his, earning his attention. "There are many teachers to see"

The man looked at her and his eyes softened slightly.

"Gustave and I are almost finished. We will wait for you and Esmé in front of the school. Do not take long" he said in a calmer tone and started to leave but made sure to pull Christine with him from the wrist.

He was careful not to hurt her but gave enough force to signal her for her to follow. Christine looked back at Erik one last time before keep walking next to her husband. The kids looked between them before the siblings rush to catch up with their parents.

Angel stayed quiet and observed her father. Her hands were turned into fists and he was shaking, a sign of frustration and built up anger. She had seen it before but never to such extent. It was obvious that she had a past with both of them and wasn't pleasant at all.

"Père" she called him.

"Let's go," he said and started to walk.

"What is going on?"

"Nothing. Do you still spend time with him?"

"Who? Gustave? Well, we never really did. It was mostly for the whole prank problem"

"Good. You should stay away from him. He is just like his father"

"No," she said and stopped walking, causing him to do the same and raise an eyebrow.

"No?"

"Gustave is not an asshole. He has his kind side. His father though seems to be a very big one and I pressure he was in the past?"

"You know very well that I do not like or tolerate such language Angelique"

"Sorry"

Erik let out a frustrated sigh and passed his hands through his hair, fixing them even though there was nothing wrong with them.

"He is the same. With time you will see. He and his father, that flop, are bad news"

_Well, I do not think so, _she continued in her mind but stayed silent, knowing very well that this discussion would end nowhere good.

Erik took a few deep breaths as he calmed down fully. His eyes turned from cold to sad and she didn't fail to notice. Before she could question, a door opened behind her and she turned only to spot her music teacher.

"Monsieur Reye" she greeted him.

The man was an old short guy with missing white hair and a moustache. He was the music teacher and also the maestro for the choir and orchestra. The High School took great pride in the talents that start within its walls.

All students must excel in one of the three arts, Dance, Music, or Acting by their graduation. The studies usually started from elementary and followed until the end of High School.

The teacher turned his attention with a smile, hearing her voice but it disappeared along with a few tones of his skin when he spotted her father standing by her side.

"Monsieur" Erik greeted him, and the poor man looked as if he was about to faint.

"Monsieur Destler" he managed to say before excusing himself and walking down the corridor, faster than normal.

"Is he afraid of you or is it just me?" she asked him.

"No, he is. When I was a student here, I made his life a living hell"

"Why?" Angel asked as she chuckled just by trying to imagine what her father was responsible for.

"I didn't agree with his teaching methods or his theory and always pointed out his mistakes; embarrassing him"

"Poor Mr Reye. At least he likes me, I think"

"Is that so?"

"Yes, but I think its because I am the only one who does excellent in his class and stays quiet.

Erik looked at his daughter with an amused look. "Don't you pay attention?"

"Do I have to? I mean after being trained by a musical prodigy?"

Her words made him smile genuinely and he messed a little with her hair, something he used to do to her when she was a child. She chuckled in response and the two of them continued in a far better mood.

* * *

Later that night, Angel was lying on her stomach on top of her bed. She was still in her clothes from earlier the same day and was waiting for everyone to come online.

**(A: Adam, E: Esme, G: Gustave, B: Belle)**

'How did it go?'

**G:** 'Mild at the beginning, tense at the end'

**B:** 'Very good. Mama is very proud of me. Granma Giry too. The dance teacher said great things about me and advised us to think of it professionally in the Corp. of Paris'

**A:** 'Had worst reports'

**E:** 'Complicated. You angel?'

'Good. Minus the encounter of course. Got any info on that?'

**B**: 'Why? What happened?'

'My father and the De Chagny met and was pretty intense. Mostly between our fathers'

**E:** 'And awkward'

**G**: 'I tried to ask but only got some pretty interesting adjective about your father'

'Same here. What kind?'

**G**: 'Not the kind ones. They were many. One he distinguished was "Madman"

'XD'

**E**: 'What is so funny Angel?'

**A**: 'How did your father call him?'

'A flop'

**G:** 'LOL'

**B**: 'Sounds like a pretty intense meeting. Maybe Mama can tell me more about it. She knows Esme's mother for years. I think they were even at the same class'

**G**: 'Do it. I am very curious as to what happened'

**A:** 'I think that a big part is obvious here. They definitely had some kind of relationship in the past and then something happened and now they are in bad terms'

'Them? Friends? Impossible. I mean they are the weirdest and opposite…'

**E:** 'Angel?'

**B:** 'What is wrong?'

**A:** 'Are you okay?'

'Yeah just… I think I realized something'

**G**: 'What?'

'Will tell you from close. Tomorrow during lunchtime, come to the library'

* * *

The next day during lunchtime, our heroes gathered in the library. Sitting down at their usual table and after making sure that they were alone, they looked at Angel.

"So what did you realize," Gustave asked first.

"It seems almost impossible for our parents to have been even friends but then again, look at us. We are opposites" she answered.

"What is your point, Angel?" Adam asked.

"What if these pranks are related to our parents? We weren't randomly chosen by the prankster. We were chosen because of our parents"

"So, let me get this straight. You are saying that there is an adult around his or her 40s, pulling pranks on high school students?"

"It is possible" Adam commented after Gustave. "It could also be a copycat. Someone who realized what connected us before we did"

"But why do any of this in the first place? What do they earn?"

"I agree with Esmé there," Belle said.

"We don't know. We have to find out and that means we need to find out about what happened when our parents were in school"

"Did your mother told you anything?" Adam asked and everyone turned to look at Belle.

She shook her head. "No, unfortunately. She kept avoiding the subject and this is not like her"

"Then she must be hiding something. Proof of Angels' theory"

Gustave cleared his throat and leaned forward. "Say all of this is true. How do we find what we need if our parents keep us in the dark?"

"The archives!" Esmé pointed out.

"The archives?" Angel repeated.

"Yes! They have each folder with the whole school history of each student for the past 200 years. There must be info about our parents there. If we find their folders, maybe we can find any clue that might lead us somewhere"

Adam smiled. "Smart idea. However, one thing. How do we go there?"

It was Angel's to smile or better say smirk. "We hide in the school until it is locked and then we roam free"

"Are you serious? And what about our parents genius?" Gustave questioned.

"Just say you staying at a friend's house until late for schoolwork"

"I do not know guys. What if we get caught?"

"Belle has a point. The Janitor himself can find us and then we will be in big trouble" Adam said.

"The Janitor won't work on Friday night" Esmé corrected him.

"And how do you know that?" her brother asked her.

"Because I know him and us tall all the time. His name is Lucas, he is from America and he has a son named Frederick who is 12. His son has a basketball game on Friday night and he won't work so he can go to see him"

"This must be the biggest coincidence I have heard of in my entire life" Adam commented and leaned back in disbelief.

"Well, then problem solved. Friday night we put our plan into action"

"Why are you certain about that theory Angel?" Belle asked her.

"If I have learnt one thing from my father's countless lessons, is that history always repeats herself"


	14. Chapter 14

Friday came and our heroes put their plan into action. Once all classes were over, they secretly made their way towards the bathrooms and hid there. It was boring, waiting for everyone to leave school but they knew that they had no other choice.

They had spent the previous days writing down the hours each professor left until they were all alone and it paid off. At last, their waiting inside the bathroom stalls came to an end and slowly left their hiding place.

"I can't' believe that it worked" Gustave exclaimed and passed his hand through his hair.

He was the one with the highest doubts all of this sounding like it came straight from a cartoon or a comic.

"Told you so," his sister said and smiled proudly as she observed the now dark halls of the school.

"It is definitely creepy" Belle added, and everyone gave a nod with their heads.

"Okay. Everyone, flashlights" Adam ordered, and they did exactly that, illuminating the place.

The boys and Angel were the only ones with a flashlight, so they had to walk evenly to allow everyone to see where they were walking. With slow steps, they made their way towards the second floor where the office of the headmaster was.

Once they stopped in front of the door which read 'Headmaster: Gerard Carriere'. Gustave tried to open it but found it locked.

"Now what?" he asked but Angel had already gotten to work.

Bending on one knee, she grabbed two hairpins and started to mess with the lock. A certain De Chagny rolled his eyes at the cliché moment he was seeing. However, any comments he had to say disappeared when the black-haired girl managed to open the door.

"After you," she said with a smirk and the football captain walked inside the room, the rest of the gang following.

The room was of a medium-sized with a wooden desk which had a computer on top and some papers, along with a pencil case. The floor beneath them was covered by a light red carpet which covered the whole room, leaving no sign of the wooden boards beneath it.

On the crème coloured walls hang pictures of historic times of the school such as its grand opening, celebrating the first 100 years but also pictures of different shows had taken place by the theatrical team.

Our heroes looked at each other before three flashlights were shot on the giant metallic cabinet. There were more than 20 different drawers, each one containing files of previous students with all the information needed.

From grades to schedules, violation and family status. It was only a few years prior that the school decided to become more modern and start saving everything on an online database like every other school.

Hopefully, for them, the files of their parents were still there.

Without wasting time, each one opened a drawer and started to read the years and Alphabet letters, trying to find their respectable parents. First was Belle who immediately sat down and opened the file of her mother, soon followed by Esmé. Adam noticed Raoul's folder first and looked it over along with the boy while Angel was left last.

Mysteriously, her father's folder was placed on a year different from others and was not stored alphabetically. Instead, it was pushed in the very far back as if someone trying to forget its existence.

Blowing away the dust, she sat on the spinning chair of the principle and opened the file on top of the desk. Under the light of torches, each one started to read the papers and trying to find a connection.

"Oh, looks like Mama was also commented on excellent dancing skills and was even leading the ballet team" Belle added with a smile.

"How sweet but it is not what we are looking for. Focus Belle" Gustave scolded her.

"Okay sorry…" the blond replied and went back to studying.

"Which classes did your parents have?" Esmé asked after a minute of silence.

"What?" Adam asked.

"Which classes. Instead of trying to find individual information, let's try to find what they had in common. Isn't this what we are looking for?"

"She is right" Angel commented. "My dad said that he was in the Theatrical team"

"I found something!" Belle exclaimed with a smile.

"If it is about your mother that has nothing to do with-"

"No Gustave. It is about your mother" Everyone's attention went to the blond who placed her hand on a specific paper and read. "Meg Giry and Christine Daee, both stars in the ballet team. Miss Giry has shown outstanding performance and talent by leading the theatrical ballet team in the latest musical of 'Faust'"

"So she was also in the theatrical team… in a way… Search for your parents as well" Angel said and soon her eye spotted something. "Listen to this. Erik Destler transferred to the school during 8th Grade. Musical talent and male lead for 4 years in a row… along with…. Along with rising star, Christine Daee… and this is a note from Mr Reye! A perfect combination of their voices, the best pair to have been through the School"

"Hmm. There must be more folders on the theatrical productions during those years" Adam said and started to look through the drawers.

A groan left Gustave lips as he closed the folder with force and stood up.

"This is ridiculous" he started. "There is no real connection. My father seemed to be the exact opposite of the rest. How could he even know any of your parents?"

In his anger, he slammed the folder on the desk and passed a hand through his hair again, a sign of his frustration. Angel looked at the folder and noticed a small piece of paper which seemed to be ready to fall down.

She opened Raoul's folder and grabbed that small piece of paper. It was a picture of a young Raoul and a young Christine, both dressed formally with paper crowns on their foreheads.

"They were Prom King and Queen" she muttered to herself.

"Your parents. They were Prom King and Queen and look *points at the picture* how they are standing. They were not just randomly chosen, they were a couple" she explained as everyone came closer to look at the picture, only to notice that Raoul had his hand around Christine's waist while she was pressed against his chest.

"And our parents… no, our fathers. They have this very bad rivalry, do you think it was because of our mother?" Esmé wondered as she took the picture and looked at it carefully.

"It would explain how they knew each other"

"That doesn't mean anything" Gustave commented.

"It does though. Think about it. If your parents were a couple already, then your father must have come in contact with the casting crew. At least once"

"Okay, so say this is true. It still doesn't lead us anywhere"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that" Adam commented as he was holding a journal. "This is the journal of the principle before us Monsieur Polygyny. He wrote about everything that happened during his years here. Including this incident"

"What incident?" Belle asked as everyone sat down, forming a circle along with Adam as he flipped to the page.

He cleared his throat and held the flashlight with one hand. "…Disaster stroke our High School, but we managed to overcome it. During the premiere of Faust, the chandelier was almost dropped on the parents who came to watch our show. The safety mechanisms saved it but caused a fire to start in our precious Theatre. The Gendarmerie has managed to find the one responsible with the help of 4 of our best students… Mr Destler, Mr De Changy, Ms Daee and Ms Giry brought to light some disturbing secrets which immediately pointed out to the culprit, who was taken away and never to be heard again… Took us months but the Theatre was back to its formal glory and our production of Faust was more successful than ever…"

Everyone looked at each other quietly, not knowing what to say after hearing such information. They knew that they were connected somehow but never expected to be in such a way. Now, thinking who might be after they seemed to scare them.

It wasn't just a joke or an act of pity revenge. No, it was something much bigger which could end up being way more dangerous than they had expected.

"We need to tell the police," said Gustave as he decided to be the first one to break the silence.

"We cannot do that" added Angel as she closed her flashlight and looked at the dark wall across from her.

"Don't be stupid now Destler. This is by far more dangerous than we thought. Those thugs that came after us, do you remember? Whoever this maniac is, is dangerous"

"I agree with Angel on this one," Adam said and Gustave scoffed.

"Of course you do. You always do"

"This is not what I meant. We can't go to the police because we have no proof. What will you tell them? That you have been targeted via different pranks by someone, _someone, _who might be the person who put fire all those years ago? By all means, go ahead and try. Let's see if anyone will believe you"

Gustave greeted his teeth and bit the inside of his cheeks, knowing very well that the boy across from him was right.

"Well, on the positive side. We did manage to find out what connects us and some interesting things about our parents. And you said it yourself, could be a simple copycat… I mean someone who learnt about it and decided to… well, pull all those stunts" Belle said but her words didn't seem to ease the situation.

"So, what now?" Esmé asked and looked at each one of her friends.

Angel, her brother and Adam seemed to be the most affected by the incident. Their faces showed that they were in deep thoughts that weren't exactly the happiest. She looked at Belle who also seemed shaken off by everything but was trying to lighten up the mood.

"We can stop… I mean the attacks have stopped and with the exception of that thing with the thugs… no other incident had happened" Angel said as she stood up.

"And that incident was because you arrived too close. This could have also scared them, especially since those thugs are now behind bars" Adam added as he also stood up and closed the journal, the rest soon follow.

"Then we all agree to go back to our normal lives. Put this witch hunt behind us" Gustave said and left out a sigh.

"As long as we promise to keep in contact with each other" Esmé said with a smile and extended her hand, her palm facing the floor.

"I wouldn't like missing contact with you guys. Been too fun hanging around and I am not exchanging it" Belle added and placed her hand on top of Esmé's.

Adam was next. "To the ending of this crazy roller coaster"

"Back to normal life," Angel said and placed her hand as well.

Then everyone turned and looked at Gustave. He let out a groan of annoyance and placed his hand on top of the pile. "Fine"

Esmé smiled and everyone found themselves smiling even a little. The whole thing had its fun moments and had brought them closer, now it was time to put an end to it but not to this unusual friendship.

* * *

As the 5 of them stood inside the room, they were unaware of the shadowy figure who watched them from across with street. A pair of night goggles were pulled down and brown eyes kept staring at our heroes who started to leave the office.

"Soon… very soon" a raspy voice said before the figure disappeared into the night.


	15. Chapter 15

**[A/N] - *Squeals* Oh I couldn;t wait to write this chapter. A little fan service and cute moments. Warning, because I post my story also on Quotev, I have links for the costumes but also put my best description of them. Might be little tiring, you can skip it and let your imagination do the job. I apologise for that, but if you are curious you can check it on Quotev. Both the story and my username are the same.**

**Anyways, Enjoy!**

* * *

A few weeks later and everyone's lives turned back to normal. Our heroes focused on their school, their studied and their associated group of friends. However, they kept the weekly meetings where they spent some time together.

They, also, greeted each other on the hallway, when school was over or had a small talk in front of their lockers. No more incidents, no more hunting. The information which had learnt still haunted the back of their minds, but no one dared to bring it up.

Almost no one. Adam had done excessive research, going as far as to hack his dad's computer in order to find more information. Yes, he had let it behind, but his curiosity pushed him to find out more about the culprit and the incident.

If he hated one thing more than Math, was leaving something unfinished. He had to find answers, find out if it was the original culprit or a copycat. Angel heard his almost daily updates and commented on his theories but never searched it herself.

A part of her wanted to just go back to normal. No more fights and dangers situations, no more lies to her father and playing with fire. The adrenaline was good but not something she wanted or needed.

Her pripary focus now was the play which would be premiered in two and a half weeks' time. The pressure was big, everyone rushing to finish costumes, choreographies and adding the final touches to the rehearsals.

On top of that, the Masquerade was only a few days away.

To celebrate the 200 years anniversary of their school, Principal Gerard had decided to host a masquerade. However, he decided to go to the extremes and having it much with the rich history of both the school and Paris.

Thus, the masquerade would be an exact replica of the 1800s ones where rich people attended. The costumes had to be extra and the music would be only classical. Many were excited and equally not excited by this plan, and yet; everyone would lose a day of school to party.

A specific raven-haired teen was equally excited for the party. Along with her group, they had decided to go for extreme but nicely done haunting costumes. Her, being the slightly perfectionist she was, decided that no ready costume was enough.

Her mind was filled with different ideas which she instantly drew down on a paper, making constant changes until she had found her piece. Wanting to go for originality, she decided to mix different elements to create a costume like no other.

Getting to work, she used all of her free time to draw it with fine detail and then work on her mother's sewing machine for hours and hours.

Erik smiled when he first saw her, reminded of his deceased wife. He was also excited, wanting to see what the genius mind of his daughter had managed to come up with. For that, he stood on his armchair and read a book in Farsi, but his mind was on the room upstairs.

Angel by now she should have gotten dress and add final touches of whatever make up she needed. The doorbell rang and he closed his book before heading towards the door. He raised an eyebrow at the man in front of him.

Adam had decided to get dressed as the Phantom of the Opera, having taken ideas from the many times he observed rehearsals while waiting for Angel. However, also wanting originality he had made a few changes.

His cape had a simple black one and he had ditched the hat the Phantom wore. His clothing also was different, having added a simple black velvet vest on top of a white shirt. Last change was the mask, which covered only half of his face.

It extended to cover his left side, covering the forehead and reaching until down his chin. He gave a dramatic bow, making sure to move the cape as well.

"Good evening monsieur Destler," he said in a slightly heavier voice with a smirk.

"And here I thought you would show up dressed a monkey" Erik commented as he walked back inside, Adam soon following him.

"Angel?"

"Getting prepared" he replied as he sat back on his armchair and picked up his book.

Adam sat on the couch across from him and waited patiently. The situation was slightly awkward, but she came to his rescue when the door to her room opened. Both men looked up, their mouths staying open at what they saw.

She was dressed in a silk red dress which was separated in three different layers by black and red lace. The lowest one from her knees and below was a deep blood red with black lace on the edges. The middle one from her knees to her waist was slightly narrower at the exact same shade of red.

The upper part was a black corset with red roses embroidered on it and black lace on bottom and top. It exposed her collarbone and was connected to short puffy sleeves which were a combination of thick red and black stripes.

She wore a simple velvet red choker around her neck and a big red hat on her head. The hat itself had golden embroidery on it and a big fake red feather on top. What stood out the most, however, was her makeup.

Her right side, from forehead to beginning of lip was painted in detail to resemble a skull while the left side was her normal skin. With the exception, of her cheek, lip and jaw which were painted the same way.

"How do I look?" she asked as she walked down the stairs, one hand holding the railing and the other holding a black walking cane.

"Incredibly frightening" Adam commented.

"And the red death strikes again," Erik said with a smile which Angel replied with her own.

She knew that her father would have found out pretty fast. The Mask of Red Death by Edgar Alan Poe was one of her favorite since she was a child. She had noticed it on her bookshelf and decided to copy the basic design and then make it a little more extra.

Some details came to her after she saw Joshua's red death costume for the production. The rest was left to her imagination and skills.

A honking sound was heard, and everyone turned their attention towards the door.

"The gang is here. We have to get going"

"Enjoy Mon Cherie" Erik said and kissed her unpainted forehead before let the two of them walk out of the house.

Across from it, a black mini van was parked. The driver was the only other boy in the company, Marques who had decided to dress up a skeleton himself. Only instead of makeup, he chose a half skeleton mask which covered from his forehead to his cheekbones.

The rest of his outfit was a black costume with vertical white lines. He had also added some lace on the collar and end of his sleeves.

Next to him, sat his girlfriend Annette who was dressed in a mix of a zombie and bride. With make up on her face and dirt and holes on the wedding dress and veil.

The sliding door of the van opened, and Clarissa motioned for them to jump in. She had gone for the simple witch only that her black dress was more gothic like with lace, stopping in the middle of her thighs which were covered by fishnets and she wore black heels with spikes.

The two friends climbed on and the van made its way towards the school. On the way there, the women commented on the extremely amazing costume of Angel who gave them a few tips and a little insight on what she did to create it.

* * *

Inside the giant gym room of the High School, the party had already started. The room had been decorated to resemble the ballroom of an 1800s mansion with fake candles, masks and accessories on the walls.

Almost everyone was inside, drinking red punch, dancing and talking with their friends. Amongst them were the rest of the gang.

Belle had chosen to dress as the main heroine from the Swan Lake, choosing a white tutu and ballerina outfit. Her blond hair was up in a nice bun and she had placed white feathers in them. Her mask was also a pure white with white feathers on it. The mask itself took the shape of a swan with tis wings spread up and creating a beautiful arc on top of her forehead

Carlotta had went for a fancier costume consisting of a bright pink strapless short dress with black roses on it, black lace stockings and a black velvet jacket with a lace tail. Her hair was braided and then wrapped into a bun while her face was hidden behind a black lace mask with a black rose on the right side.

Esmé stood next to the end of the table which had the punch along with her friends. Her friend Jackline was dressed as a magician, with a black skirt and fishnets stockings, white shirt and black corset. On top of her curly hair she had a black hat and her face was hidden by simple venetian grey mask.

Her other friend, Andre had matched his suit with his mask in a domino patterns, not wanting to go for anything fancier.

Esmé on the other hand kept drawing the attention with the bold costume of her choice. She had decided that this night was a big one and she would give it everything she had. For that, she had (with the help of Christine) personally order her costume.

She was dressed a gypsy girl, but her version was very different. Her outfit was a black corset with black veins on it which exposed her collarbone and a little of her chest. The sleeves she had kept constantly falling to her forearms and exposed her uncovered shoulder.

The rest of the body was covered by a crème skirt which was slightly see through depending on the light. Her hair was curled up slightly and she had chosen a real red rose behind her left ear. Last was her mask which was a light red made fully of lace.

Her brother stood at the other end of the table surrounded by his teammates.

Himself had chosen something simply going for an old military outfit in a dark blue colors with silver buttons. The jacket was gracefully placed on his right sleeve and a fake rapier was strapped on his waist. His face had a simple mask at the same color as his costume.

Music was playing by the orchestra which had wore costumes as well or simple masks. From the teachers, only a few had attended including the principal which was dressed as himself with a simple goat mask on his face and Mr. Reye who wore his simple maestro attire with a black mask.

The big doors of the gym opened, and everyone's attention was drawn to the 5 newcomers which were none other than Angel's company. She was standing right in the middle, both hands resting on her walking cane.

On her right, were the two boys and on her left the two girls. They had planned all along to make a grand entrance and they had succeeded. Everyone's eyes were on them as they walked inside.

Some even parted to make space for the red death and her followers. Soon however, the shock died, and everyone returned back to normal. Our heroine spotted Esmé and walked towards her, her friends following.

"Oh Angel, your costume is simply amazing!" the younger girl added and hugged her.

"Thank you but I must say the same about yours. Such a bold choice" she said, and the brunette blushed a deep red.

Her blush didn't go away, but it gotten even brighter when Annette and Clarissa started to comment positively on her attire and showering her with compliments. Angel didn't fail to notice how Adam's eyes were glued on the petit form of the shorter girl.

Clearing her throat, she nudged Marques with her elbow and understanding the signal, the skeleton interlocked his elbow with the two ladies and walked away. Angel did the same, deciding to head for a drink.

As she poured herself in a cup, Gustave approached her and for a few seconds, the two of them stayed quiet, not making eye contact.

"Hey" she greeted first.

"Hey" he replied back as himself refilled his cup and took a deep sip. "Nice costume. You really brought the Red Death to life"

Angel almost chocked on her drink and turned her body to look at him. "I am surprised that you managed to recognize it. Yet again, you are dressed very similarly to a young emperor"

"Purely coincidental. It was my father's idea… And yes I happen to have read E. A. Poe"

"I am impressed" she commented with a smirk as the two of them kept looking at each other.

"Impressed with the fact that I read books? Now I am hurt"

"Well, a proof that you are more socialized than your teammates"

The duo looked at the team of jocks who had walked to Carlotta's group and were flirting with the redhead and her followers.

"Yes… It is slightly embarrassing to belong to the same category as them" he commented and emptied his cup. "Hmm… I wonder if anyone knows that this punch had alcohol inside"

"So I am not the only one who felt it. Good, for a moment I started to question my taste buds"

"No, I did as well, and I have my suspicions on who did such thing"

"Doesn't take lots of thought" she commented and finished her drink as well.

Before they could continue their small talk, the principle grabbed the microphone and ordered the music to stop. Clearing his throat, he tapped on the microphone a few times to test it.

"Welcome High School Populaire students to the 200th anniversary masquerade ball" most students shouted and some whistled. "I am very glad to see such unique costumes in here today. However, a party is not a party without some dance. So, grab a partner and move to the dancefloor"

With a nod, the orchestra started to play a faster and more fitting music. Quickly, every teenage boy offered his hand to the female of their choice or the opposite. To Angel's surprised, Gustave extended his.

"Just take it already. I prefer dancing with you than anyone else" he said.

"I can say the same thing" she added and placed her hand on top of his.

Slowly, along with the rest of the couples they moved to the centre and started to dance to the rhythm. One of Gustave's hand was on her waist and the other was holding her leg in a waltz manner.

Angel's free hand was resting on his shoulder and she found herself smiling as they danced. He had managed to surprise her once again by his fine dancing compared to most boys around them.

His moves were flawless, finding sync with her legs and making this waltz even more enjoyable.

"The De Chagny have a big reputation to live on, especially on the manners of traditional dancing" he explained as if he had read her mind.

"Seems fitting. I am glad though to hear that" she said as she kept her smile and let him spin her once.

As they kept dancing, their eyes travelled to the room.

Joshua, dressed as the Nutcracker, was dancing with Belle. Marques was dancing with Annette, Carlota with Victor, Clarissa with Andre, Jacklin with another guy and Adam with Esmé.

Like Gustave had said, she seemed to be more experienced than her partner, leading him constantly. Her body moved gracefully, guiding him slowly while their faces seemed to be a little closer.

They both smiled and talked slightly as they danced, both lost in each other's eyes and forgetting the world around them. Gustave noticed this but a warm hand was placed on his cheek and forced his head to look at his partner.

Angel gave a genuine smile. "Let her have her fun. Its Adam and you know that he would never harm her"

Gustave didn't reply but focused his attention on her face. Even with half of it being painted, she still seemed beautiful with her exotic costume and loose black hair which rested on her exposed skin.

Her red painted lips kept the smile and he found himself smiling back, just like that day on the train.

* * *

A few hours later, after many dances and drinks; the party came to an end. The last dance was the one everyone felt the most, not wanting this fun night to come to an end. As the song came to an end, everyone bowed to their partner.

The males either kissed their partner on their cheek, forehead or hand. The last case especially for a young De Chagny.

"I had fun tonight" he said as he kissed the back of her hand and smiled.

"I did as well. Surprisingly" she said and smiled, pulling her hand slowly away.

Their sweet moment was interrupted when their respective groups called for them, it was time to head home. Bidding another goodbye, she went to join her friends who were all waiting for her.

* * *

For Angel, the road back home seemed shorter than she had remembered, as she was the first one to be dropped.

"Goodnight guys" she said and bid them a farewell before walking her house.

She could hear the snickers and jokes which had started from the moment they left the party. Her and Gustave. She scoffed but smiled. Nothing happened between them, two friends who enjoyed the moment even though she wasn't sure she was convincing herself either; especially her friends.

She entered her house and while barely humming to herself the latest song she danced, she walked towards the stairs. The time was little after midnight and her father was still awake and sitting on his armchair.

"It seems you had fun" he commented as he closed his book and looked at her.

"I did. It wasn't that bad" she admitted as she stopped at the base of the stairs, her ring hand on the railing.

"I wonder why" he stated sarcastically as he noticed the change in her mood and behavior.

"I am off to sleep. Goodnight Papa" she explained and continued her humming, a smile on her lips while climbing up the stairs.

Erik was shocked and followed his daughter with his eyes until she disappeared behind the closed door of her room. She hadn't called him Papa since the day they lost her mother and now he was beyond curious of what made her in such a good mood to bring that nickname back.

"Can it be?" he wondered but then shook his head and focused back on his book. "Do not be ridiculous Erik. It is not possible. She is too young" he muttered to himself.


End file.
